Zojila tunnel completion delayed by over 2 years, Nitin Gadkari tells Lok Sabha
Union Minister for Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday that the tunnel will now be completed by February 2028, when it was previously scheduled to be ready by September 29, 2026. Previously, the government has said the average travel time to cross the Zojila pass, which sometimes takes three hours at present, will come down to 20 minutes once the tunnel is ready.
'The project has been delayed due to multiple factors, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a terrorist attack at the Sonamarg Tunnel Project, and extreme adverse weather conditions,' Gadkari said in a reply to J&K National Conference MP Mian Altaf Ahmed Larvi from Anantnag-Rajouri constituency.
The total cost of the project is Rs. 6809 crore, out of which an expenditure of Rs. 3934.42 crore has been incurred so far, with current physical progress standing at 64%, the minister added.
As part of his reply, Gadkari added a total of 1,141 individuals are currently employed in the project. Of these, 77% are from Jammu & Kashmir, and 28% of the overall workforce is from the Ganderbal district.
These details emerge after the Z-Morh tunnel at Sonamarg, another crucial part of the all-weather road connection between Srinagar
and Leh, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in January.
Currently, Ladakh does not have all-weather road connectivity with other parts of India. Both the Srinagar-Leh axis road and the Manali-Leh road are also subject to weather-related closures for five-six months of the year.
The completion of the Zojila tunnel will not only be helpful in uninterrupted traffic flow between Srinagar and Ladakh for civilian purposes but also help military mobility and logistics support for deployed forces in the Ladakh sector.
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