Work on Rs 10,000-crore Zojila pass tunnel to begin soon: Nitin Gadkari

CHENANI: The government will soon start work on the Rs 10,000-crore Zojila pass tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir to provide all-weather connectivity to people in the Leh-Ladakh region, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said.

"We are committed to all-round development of Jammu & Kashmir. We will begin work soon on Rs 10,000-crore Zojila pass tunnel which would be even bigger than the 9 kms long Chenani-Nashri tunnel in the state, which is India's longest road tunnel at present," Road Transport and Highways Minister Gadkari told PTI here.

Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578-ft on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway which remains closed during winters (December to April) due to heavy snowfall and avalanches cutting Leh-Ladakh region from Kashmir.

"We will provide all weather connectivity to different parts of the state. The people in Ladakh have to face severe hardships and the region is cut off during the winters.

"Plight of the people can be imagined from the fact that even potatoes cost Rs 450 a kg there during winters," Gadkari said.

Talking to PTI after the final blast ceremony to connect Chenani and Nashri of the South East Asia's longest (9 km) road tunnel, which is part of Rs 12,000 crore Jammu to Srinagar project, he said Zojila pass, after construction, will become the longest road tunnel in South East Asia.

The Minister said only a single bid has been received for the important project, which has been sent to a high-level committee for a decision whether to call for more bids or go ahead with the same.

"Once a decision is taken on the bidder, we are committed to start work on the project," he said.

The Minister said the Rs 3,720-crore Chenani-Nashri road tunnel project, which is part of Rs 12,000-crore Jammu to Srinagar highway project, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in May next year.

"We are hopeful that the project is completed before schedule in March next year. On completion of the entire project, the distance between Jammu and Kashmir regions will be reduced by about 90 km," he said.

The Minister said not only projects worth Rs 25,000 crore will be done in the state by the end of the year but also work is on progress on projects worth Rs 10,000 crore.

"The Narendra Modi government is committed to doing more work in 5 years in the state to bolster its economic growth than what was done in last 50 years.

"We will do projects worth Rs 25,000 crore this year," he said during the final blast ceremony of Chenani-Nashri tunnel project.

The existing Highway stretch between Chenani and Nashri encounters heavy snowfall during winters, leading to closing of highway for weeks altogether.

Terming the tunnel work as a historic milestone, he said it will contribute significantly to the programme and the idea of 'Make in India' and 'Made in India'.