Going from Srinagar to Leh will be easier with this tunnel costing Rs 68 bn

The Project aims at the construction of 14.15 km long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved the construction, operation, and maintenance of the two-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel on Srinagar-Leh section in Jammu & Kashmir on Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) basis.

The construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil, and Leh and will bring about all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions. The project has strategic and socio-economic importance and shall be an instrument for the development of the economically backward districts in Jammu & Kashmir, the official statement said. | Today's Paper 

The construction period of the project is seven years which shall be reckoned from the date of commencement of construction. The civil construction cost of the project is Rs 49 billion.
The total capital cost of the project is Rs 68.09 billion, including the cost of land acquisition, Resettlement & Rehabilitation, and other pre-construction activities as well as Maintenance and Operation cost of the tunnel for four years.

Infrastructure major IL&FS Transportation is likely to get the work for this tunnel as it emerged as the lowest bidder for this crucial project.

 Other Major Decisions

• Cabinet extends mandatory packaging of foodgrain and sugar products in jute bags for year ending June 2018; it is mandatory to pack 90% of grains and 20% of sugar products in jute bags
• Approval to India’s stand at the recently concluded World Trade Organization ministerial meeting held in Argentina in December last year 

Four companies had bid for the project and IL&FS quoted the lowest amount, which is 10.7% less than the bid amount government had mentioned in the tender document. The project will be built on EPC mode in which government bears the entire cost and makes the payment during construction.
The Project aims at the construction of a 14.15-km-long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel with a parallel 14.200-km-long egress tunnel excluding approaches between Baltal & Minamarg in J&K. The construction of approaches of this tunnel is being undertaken separately.

The project will be implemented by Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRT&H) through National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

The main objective of the project is to provide all-weather connectivity to Leh region in Jammu & Kashmir which at the moment is limited to at best 6 months because of snow on the passes and threat of avalanches.

Click here to read → Zojila Tunnel