Zojila tunnel set for breakthrough on June 9

THE strategically important 13.15-kilometre-long Zojila tunnel at the border of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will achieve a crucial stage on June 9 when Union Minister of Roads, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari triggers a breakthrough blast.

- FAYAZ WANI

Once completed, the tunnel will become the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at an altitude of 11,500 feet. It will provide all-weather connectivity between the Kashmir valley and Kargil in Ladakh. Harpal Singh, joint chief operating officer of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited, which is constructing the tunnel, told this newspaper that the excavation work on Baltal-Zojila main tunnel has reached the final stage. “Of the total tunnel length of 13.15 kilometres, excavation work on 13.14 kilometres has been completed. Now just 10 meters of excavation work is remaining,” he said.