Zoji La Tunnel Project in Kashmir: Big infrastructure boost for the country! The construction of the much-awaited infrastructure project Zoji La tunnel is finally going to commence. The foundation stone for the big infrastructure project is being laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The Zoji La tunnel project is 14.2 km long and the game changer project will connect Kashmir Valley to Ladakh – ensuring all-weather access. The big road project is being built at a whopping cost of Rs 6,809 crore, which includes cost towards land acquisition, maintenance and operation, resettlement as well as rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The development work of the tunnel project is likely to be over by the year 2026.
At present, it takes nearly 3 hours of time duration to complete a road journey on this stretch of 14.2 km, but with the completion of the development work of the Zoji La tunnel project, it will only take 15 minutes to complete a journey on this stretch. Through this tunnel, vehicles will be able to run at a speed of 80 km per hour. Also, the Zoji La tunnel will be provided with necessary safety features, which includes a high-tech communication system. In the year 1997, the survey for the Zoji La tunnel was first carried out by the Indian Army but the planning of tunnel project was started in the year 1999, after the Kargil war.
It is expected that with the development of the Zoji La tunnel project, the state will witness many job opportunities. Moreover, with better road connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh, the tourism industry of the state is likely to witness heavy traffic, which will ultimately boost the economy of the state.
Interestingly, other than the Zoji La tunnel project, another crucial road project- Z-Morh tunnel project at Gagangir is going to boost the state’s infrastructure. The Z-Morh tunnel project is 6.5 km long and the work for the project is expected to be over by next year.
