[Flyer]

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Rs 6,809 crore Zojila tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir’s Leh, kickstarting the work for Asia’a longest and strategic bi-directional tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Leh via Kargil. The project is expected to finish within five years.

Unveiling a plaque for commencing the work for the tunnel, Modi said, "Zojila tunnel is not a mere tunnel but a modern day marvel."

The Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National highway and remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall, cutting off Ladakh region from Kashmir. Thus, this project aims at the construction of 14.15 km long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel with a parallel 14.2 km long egress tunnel.

The tunnel will reduce the travel time to cross the Zojila pass to 15 minutes which at present takes over 3.5 hours further cutting the travel time from Srinagar to Leh drastically.

Planned as a smart tunnel, it will have the latest safety features such as fully transverse ventilation system, uninterrupted power supply, emergency lighting, CCTV monitoring, variable message signs, traffic logging equipment and tunnel radio system. The safety features will include emergency telephones and fire-fighting cabinets at every 125 metre, pedestrian cross-passages at every 250 metre and motorable cross passages and lay-by at every 750 metre.
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[pavanmadhini]

That's more than 400 crores per km of tunnel! Is this on-par cost for such tunnels, or is it only me who thinks the cost seems too high?

[Nav-i-gator]

Originally Posted by pavanmadhini

That's more than 400 crores per km of tunnel! Is this on-par cost for such tunnels, or is it only me who thinks the cost seems too high?

Considering the terrain where it is being built, I think 400 Cr per KM is less than what it would eventually cost when completed. In many places, it is very very difficult to even get the construction equipment and machinery at the site.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by pavanmadhini

That's more than 400 crores per km of tunnel! Is this on-par cost for such tunnels, or is it only me who thinks the cost seems too high?

Somebody is sniffing for scams.

Cost of the Kuthiran Tunnel on NH47/66 (depending on old or new numbering scheme) in Kerala which is just about 1 km long was Rs.200 crore when awarded - we do not know how much it will cost with escalation costs. This is well within civilization, with access to all facilities and a city nearby.

Cost of Metro construction in India varies from about Rs.550 crore per km (Delhi Metro Ph III) to Rs.200 crore per km (Kochi Metro) with scam-ridden anomalies like Rs.600-700 crore per km at Hyderabad.

Therefore the cost of 400 crore per km build under inhospitable conditions at some of the highest altitudes in the world does not seem to be out of place. It actually seems under-estimated.

[ani_meher]

Great initiative. Hope this gets completed in a few years. Sonamarg will get lesser tourists now. Also bikers/tourers who went to Shrinigar - Kargil - Leh route may go directly to Leh, if this Zozi la tunnel distance is crossed in 15 mins only.

[Shreyans_Jain]

More than anything, this will affect the tourism economy in Sonamarg, Drass and Kargil. Sonamarg may still limp along on account of the Amarnath yatra, but people will now go straight to Leh from Srinagar in one go over a day. Nobody will stay the night at Drass or Kargil unless they deliberately want to.

[SJM1214]

NHIDCL terminates IL&FS' contract for Zojila tunnel project.

State-owned National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has terminated the contract awarded to troubled IL&FS group for building the strategic Zojila tunnel to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

This is the second time NHIDCL has cancelled the contract for the 14.15-km tunnel project which would cut down the 3.5-hour long drive through the mountainous Zojila Pass to 15 minutes. The corporation had earlier cancelled the bid of IRB Infrastructure. IL&FS Transportation in 2017 emerged as the lowest bidder in the rebidding process

News Source.

[ArjunPadmakumar]

https://swarajyamag.com/insta/video-...th-first-blast

Construction finally starts on Asia's longest bidirectional tunnel.
Upon completion later this decade it will overtake both the Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel and the recently opened Atal tunnel in length.

[ruzbehxyz]

Video: First Blast For The Construction Of 14 Km Long Zojila Tunnel.

https://youtu.be/t6v2iY52Eqs

This 14 km long tunnel is being built on National Highway 1 (Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway) to provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh. Presently, the road leading from Kashmir to Ladakh remains open only for five to six months.

The project has faced multiple delays. Bids for this strategically important project were invited five times between 2013 and 2018. Four out of these five attempts to move ahead with the construction of the tunnel drew no responses. In the fifth attempt, IL&FS was selected as the contractor for the project.

Two days after India abolished Article 370, the government canceled the process again as IL&FS ran into financial troubles. Fresh bids were invited in late 2019, and Megha Engineering and Infra emerged as the lowest bidder earlier this year.

The announcement comes at a time when China has claimed that the development of infrastructure by India in the region is the “root cause” of tensions along the Line of Actual Control.

India has dismissed these claims saying the roads, bridges and tunnels coming up in the region are being built in Indian territory.

Source: https://swarajyamag.com/insta/video-...-on-15-october