Zojila tunnel: Nitin Gadkari wants project to be completed before 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Gadkari said that the completion of the project on paper is September 2026 but he has given a target to complete the project by December 2023.

"It will create a new world record if we achieve the target three years before its scheduled time," he said.

After Gadkari's new target, India is likely to get the "World's Highest and Asia's longest" bi-directional all-weather Zojila tunnel ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Situated on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, the 13.5-km long Zojila tunnel is envisaged to provide all-weather connectivity to Ladakh to Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

Gadkari informed that the height of the tunnel from the surface is 11,575 feet and the length of the tunnel is 14.5 km.

"The total combined length of both the Zojila tunnel and the approach road is 32.62 km," he said. 

Gadkari said that the total cost of the project including land acquisition would be around Rs 6,800 crores. 

The Zojila tunnel will also boost the tourism sector of both Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir and keep the hassle-free movement of the armed forces during any weather conditions.

Currently, the road from Srinagar to Leh is not open all year round as it is not suitable for vehicular movement. Connectivity is limited to only five months in a year owing to extreme snowfall during winters.

The existing Srinagar-Ladakh highway remains closed from mid-November to April and cuts off the entire region from the rest of the world. 

The distance from Baltal to Minamarg will be reduced from 40 km to 13 km and the travel time will be reduced by 1.5 hours between the two union territories.

The Union minister said the work is being carried out on a war footing and the tunnel will be an economic corridor for Ladakh and Kashmir.

Gadkari said that within two years, the Centre will change the scenario of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.