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India’s ambitious, strategic, all-weather Zojila Tunnel in a volatile seismic portion IV volition witnesser the last breakthrough connected June 9 arsenic Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari volition oversee the last blasting from the Kargil side. The 13.14 km-long passageway cuts done the mighty Himalayas astatine an altitude of 11,578 feet and connects the Kashmir vale with Ladakh’s Kargil.
Mr. Gadkari volition preside implicit the process of last blasting of the past block, which volition spot the passageway through. The passageway is apt to let information officials to ferry goods, machines and stocks to the high-altitude bases of Ladakh astatine the highest winter for the archetypal clip ever successful coming winters, officials said. Earlier, stocks would beryllium maintained during aboriginal autumn months to provender soldiers connected the Line of Actual Control (LAC) successful winters.
The Zojila Tunnel bypasses the weather-dependent Zojila Pass, which is prone to landslides, shooting stones and remains closed owed to snowfall accumulation successful winters.
‘A defining moment’
A spokesperson of the Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL), which started enactment connected the passageway successful 2020, termed the last breakthrough “a defining moment”. “It demonstrates the palmy execution of 1 of India’s astir analyzable transport infrastructure works successful a hostile Himalayan environment,” said elder MEIL officials.
The excavation enactment has been completed connected the world’s longest single‑tube bi‑directional roadworthy passageway astatine an altitude of implicit 11,500 feet. “The task volition present the long‑envisioned nonsubjective of seamless, all‑weather connectivity betwixt Kashmir and Ladakh, bringing long‑term benefits successful mobility, economical integration, and strategical resilience,” said MEIL officials.
The passageway outgo much than ₹6,800 crore. A 7.57 metre precocious horseshoe-shaped single-tube two-lane passageway volition walk nether the arduous Zojila Pass betwixt Ganderbal territory successful Kashmir and Drass territory of Ladakh. Officials accidental the question clip volition travel down from 3 hours to 20 minutes betwixt Ganderbal and Kargil.
Extreme upwind conditions
The operation of the passageway faced a large situation from utmost upwind conditions, which dropped from minus 20 degrees Celsius to minus 30 degrees Celsius for astir 100 days a year. Officials said the task tract faced 5 large avalanche situations successful the past five years and damaged machinery and equipment. On January 15, 2023, the Army rescued and evacuated implicit 172 workers stranded successful an avalanche. Two employees besides mislaid their lives. “This highly volatile geology was successfully managed done the expertise of our skilled crew,” said officials.
Officials said the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) was employed due to the fact that it suited the fragile Himalayan geology and adaptable stone conditions. “NATM relies connected sequential excavation, contiguous enactment measures specified arsenic shotcrete and stone bolting, and continuous geotechnical monitoring, allowing engineers to respond flexibly to changing crushed conditions during tunnelling,” the officials added.
The Zojila Tunnel has 4 culverts, 4 Nilgrar tunnels, 8 cut-and-cover passes and 220 metres of vertical ventilation shaft. The West Portal of the passageway starts astatine Baltal and ends astatine the East Portal astatine Meenamarg.
