World’s Longest Zojila Tunnel At 11,500 Feet Achieved

Zojila: The final breakthrough in the strategic Zojila Tunnel, the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at 11,500 feet, was achieved on Tuesday afternoon, with Union Minister for Highways Nitin Gadkari presiding over the ceremony marking this significant milestone.

At an elevation of approximately 11,578 feet (about 3,535 meters) above sea level, the Tunnel saw the light of the day after the breakthrough was achieved through a blast in one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects in the country.

Gadkari pressed the remote button, blasting the breakthrough site near the East Portal of the tunnel at Minimarg in Ladakh Union Territory. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were also present.

Speaking after the blasting of the 2.5 metre wall to enable the two ends of the tunnel meet, Gadkari said the breakthrough marks a golden day in India’s infrastructure development with the realisation of the world’s longest bi-directional tunnel.

“The project serves as a vital lifeline for Ladakh, and I extend my warmest wishes to the people of both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.

The Union Minister said that the state-of-the-art tunnel is equipped with the world’s best safety parameters and cutting-edge engineering technology.

Ladakh remained entirely cut off from the rest of the country for six months every winter and the tunnel project was sheer necessity of overcoming this harsh isolation.

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, infrastructure development has been given the highest priority. Although the project required the tender to be issued four times, meticulous planning brought the final estimated cost down to Rs 7,000 crore from an initial estimate of Rs 12,000 crore, successfully saving the exchequer Rs 5,000 crore,” Gadkari added.