From Six Months of Isolation to Year-Round Access: The Zojila Tunnel Story
The Honorable Minister has today fulfilled the final milestone of all-weather connectivity for the people of Ladakh. I extend my heartfelt congratulations to the people of Ladakh, as well as to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. We all know that connectivity drives development and brings economic prosperity. They have worked in difficult conditions at such a high altitude. Over the past 12–13 years, the country has done unprecedented work in this sector. Especially regarding our border areas—I do not know why the issue of connectivity there was neglected.
However, over the past twelve years, significant emphasis has been placed on rail, air, and road connectivity in our country.
I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to the Honourable Union Minister for Road, Transport & Highways, Nitin Gadkari and his entire department as well. Given the kind of work underway in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, I believe that both trade and tourism will increase, said the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir, Shri Manoj Sinha. Infrastructure security is a crucial aspect for the country, especially for border areas; this will provide significant support in that regard as well.
This tunnel is state-of-the-art; it has been built according to world-class safety standards and will provide all-weather connectivity to Leh, Ladakh, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. I first visited Ladakh when I was the President of the Bharatiya Janata Party; that was when people told me for the first time that everything here remains shut for six months. Then I was told that connectivity remains cut off for six months at a time; seeing this distressed me greatly, and I realized the immense hardships the local people have to face. And that was when it struck me that this was absolutely essential. Our government came to power in 2014 under the leadership of our esteemed Modi ji, and I was entrusted with the responsibility of this department; notably, Modi ji accorded the highest priority to infrastructure development, and I had the privilege of launching this project. And I am happy today that we executed the project—originally estimated to cost ₹12,000 crore—for ₹7,000 crore, achieving a total saving of ₹5,000 crore, said Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
I am also happy that this is not merely a tunnel but a lifeline, and it has provided the privilege of demonstrating the engineering capabilities and the true vision of ‘New India’, the Minister added
It is an iconic project and a national pride. In Asia it is the longest bi-directional tunnel at this height, said engineers managing the project. The height here is nearing 11,000 feet.We had lots of challenges. One of them was requirement of lots of water in this project. Another was procurement of materials as we had to cross the Zojilla Bypass. But that was also managed very well. We had the integrity of the rocks. We had very fragmented rocks so this was the main challenge.
I congratulate all of you on the construction of such a massive tunnel at this high altitude; it is the highest tunnel in the world and the largest in Asia. This is a huge achievement for all the people of the country, said workers associated with the project.This tunnel is a strategic project that offers significant advantages for defense purposes, ensuring the route remains accessible throughout the year.
Those in authority also said that people will be able to move around; this is extremely important for tourists, as previously, those visiting Srinagar could not travel to Ladakh during the winter. So, this is a major step from the perspective of both tourism and the economy; it will provide tremendous connectivity between Ladakh and Kashmir and ensure a steady influx of tourists.
