Tunnel to reduce travel time from 3 hrs to 15 min

15 Oct 2020 Editorial Team

Megha Engineering and Infrastructure (MEIL) emerged as the lowest bidder in August for Zojila pass tunnel project by quoting Rs 45.099 million.

Significance of the project:

The construction of Zojila Tunnel will provide all-weather safe connectivity between Srinagar, Dras, Kargil and Leh regions. The all-weather safe connectivity of the road is immensely important from the strategic point of view.
The construction of Zozila Tunnel shall bring about all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions which remains cut-off from rest of the country during winters due to heavy snowfall for about six months.
A tunnel in Zozila is the only viable alternative at present for a full year connectivity road. This tunnel when completed will be a landmark achievement in the history of modern India. It will also be of great importance to the Defence of the country, in view of the fact that massive military activities along our borders in Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan regions are taking place.
This Project will make the travel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Section of NH-1 free from avalanches.
Project would enhance the safety of the travellers crossing Zozila Pass and would reduce the Travel time from more than 3 hours to 15 minutes.
Project will generate employment to the locals.

Safety features of Zojila Tunnel:

Emergency lay-bys are located at intervals of 750 m staggered on both sides of the carriageway. There are sidewalks on both sides of the carriageway. Emergency call niches and hydrant niches are situated at intervals of 125 m.
Manual fire alarm push buttons and portable fire extinguishers shall be at the disposal of all drivers.
A telephone shall be installed at the emergency call niches.
Fire Hydrants and Hydrant Niches, Fire Extinguishers.
Video Surveillance system - CCTV-Cameras: The surveillance cameras in the tunnel shall be installed on the tunnel wall and the cameras in the area before and after the tunnel are installed on a pole. Data and video mage shall be transmitted through the communications lines. To achieve this, transceivers and media converter shall be employed.
Fire Alarm System in buildings
Automatic Fire Detection and suppression System in the tunnel - linear heat detection systems shall be connected to the SCADA system through its own control system.
Emergency Telephone Niches - emergency call niches shall be located, according to the EU standard, in the tunnel at intervals of less than 125 m each to other in the tunnel and in all lay-bys. The emergency points shall have the following equipment like fire alarm push buttons and fire extinguishers
Traffic control system with a central control room.

Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Shri Nitin Gadkari on 14 October 2020 initiated the first blasting for Zojila Tunnel in J&K. The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh (Ladakh plateau) on NH-1 and will bring about an all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of Jammu & Kashmir (Now UTs of J&K and Ladakh). It involves the construction of a 14.15 Km long tunnel at an altitude of about 3000 m under Zojila pass (presently motorable only for 6 months in a year) on NH-1 connecting Srinagar and Leh through Dras & Kargil. It is one of the most dangerous stretch in the world to drive a vehicle and this project is also geo-strategically sensitive.Megha Engineering and Infrastructure (MEIL) emerged as the lowest bidder in August for Zojila pass tunnel project by quoting Rs 45.099 million.Significance of the project:The construction of Zojila Tunnel will provide all-weather safe connectivity between Srinagar, Dras, Kargil and Leh regions. The all-weather safe connectivity of the road is immensely important from the strategic point of view.The construction of Zozila Tunnel shall bring about all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions which remains cut-off from rest of the country during winters due to heavy snowfall for about six months.A tunnel in Zozila is the only viable alternative at present for a full year connectivity road. This tunnel when completed will be a landmark achievement in the history of modern India. It will also be of great importance to the Defence of the country, in view of the fact that massive military activities along our borders in Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan regions are taking place.This Project will make the travel on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh Section of NH-1 free from avalanches.Project would enhance the safety of the travellers crossing Zozila Pass and would reduce the Travel time from more than 3 hours to 15 minutes.Project will generate employment to the locals.Safety features of Zojila Tunnel:Emergency lay-bys are located at intervals of 750 m staggered on both sides of the carriageway. There are sidewalks on both sides of the carriageway. Emergency call niches and hydrant niches are situated at intervals of 125 m.Manual fire alarm push buttons and portable fire extinguishers shall be at the disposal of all drivers.A telephone shall be installed at the emergency call niches.Fire Hydrants and Hydrant Niches, Fire Extinguishers.Video Surveillance system - CCTV-Cameras: The surveillance cameras in the tunnel shall be installed on the tunnel wall and the cameras in the area before and after the tunnel are installed on a pole. Data and video mage shall be transmitted through the communications lines. To achieve this, transceivers and media converter shall be employed. Fire Alarm System in buildingsAutomatic Fire Detection and suppression System in the tunnel - linear heat detection systems shall be connected to the SCADA system through its own control system.Emergency Telephone Niches - emergency call niches shall be located, according to the EU standard, in the tunnel at intervals of less than 125 m each to other in the tunnel and in all lay-bys. The emergency points shall have the following equipment like fire alarm push buttons and fire extinguishersTraffic control system with a central control room.

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

Real Estate

15 Sep 2025

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..