Ganderbal, Dec 17:The construction work on Asia's longest tunnel along Zojila pass, (Zojila Tunnel), which connects Jammu and Kashmir to Ladakh, is in full swing despite the prevalent freezing temperatures.
It is pertinent to mention that after its completion the tunnel will be Asia's longest and historic in its existence. The officials revealed that the Tunnel and approach road are to be constructed together.
It is estimated that about 33 million metric tons of debris will be removed from the tunnel.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, Senior Manager Mega Engineering Infrastructure Limited (MEIL), BurhanAndrabi said that a deadline of six years was set for the completion of the construction of the tunnel and the connecting road work.
As per officials, It is likely expected that the tunnel will have a major role to play in improving the economic position of Ladakh and Kashmir.
The manager said that the excavation work was underway from both Minamarg and Baltal sides and till date they had completed over 5km.
He said that the construction work was not affected despite snowfall and severe cold in the UT.
He further said that better preparations have been made to continue construction work this year than last year.
At a height of 3528m above sea level, work on two other tunnels, Nilgrar A1 and A2 connected to the Zojila Pass route is also in Full swing.
Although there snow has accumulated in the area and the temperature has also dropped to minus 10 to 13 degrees but construction work has not been stopped. The project consists of three tunnels, four Bridges, an ice shelter, a clort, a cach dam, a deflector dam and a cut and cover tunnel, Burhan told Rising Kashmir.
Currently 1100 workers were working on the project, out of which almost 70 percent were from Locals.
Official Sources said that this tunnel is also very important in terms of defense.
It should be noted that the construction of Zojila Tunnel was a long demand of the people of Ladakh. He said that the construction of this tunnel would not only make the journey on the srinagar-leh highway safe and comfortable, but also save a lot of time. Prime minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the tunnel in May 2018 and said that the Zojila tunnel is not just a tunnel but a wonder of modern times.