Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, 19 May laid the foundation stone of Rs 6,800 crore strategic Zoji La tunnel – Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel – in Jammu and Kashmir.
Security forces in Jammu and Kashmir were put on high alert ahead of Modi's arrival in the state – with internet services suspended for a day.
The Prime Minister also lay the foundation stones for ring road projects in Srinagar and Jammu costing nearly Rs 3,884 crore.
Srinagar, Leh to Be Connected All Year Round
The 14-km long Zoji La tunnel, which will be India's longest road tunnel and Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel, will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh, as this route remains snow-bound for a large part of the year and is ravaged by frequent avalanches.
The tunnel will cut down the time taken to cross the Zoji La pass from 3.5 hours to just 15 minutes, besides making the drive much safer and convenient.Ministry of Road Transport and Highways in a statement
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by the Prime Minister had approved the construction, operation and maintenance of this two-lane bi-directional tunnel with Parallel Escape (Egress) tunnel between Baltal and Minamarg on the Srinagar-Leh section of NH-1A at a total cost of Rs 6,800 crore earlier this year.
The government said the construction of this tunnel will provide much relief to the people in the region. Due to heavy snowfall and frequent avalanches, road connection to places in the Ladakh region get disrupted for long periods, preventing even essential supplies from reaching people, shutting down businesses, affecting healthcare and education.
The construction of the tunnel is expected to bring about all round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions. In addition to direct jobs generated during construction, it will also lead to massive indirect and spinoff jobs due to acceleration of economic growth.Ministry of Road Transport and Highways statement
It added that the government is committed to development of manpower skilled for tunnelling jobs in J&K. The project has strategic and socio-economic importance, and will be an instrument for the development of the economically backward districts in J&K.
The government said the Zoji La tunnel has been planned as a smart tunnel which will have latest safety features like fully transverse ventilation system, Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), Tunnel Emergency Lighting, CCTV Monitoring, Variable Message Signs (VMS), Traffic Logging Equipment, Over Height Vehicle Detection, Tunnel Radio System, etc.
It will have pedestrian cross passages at every 250 metre and motorable cross passages and lay-bys at every 750 metre, the statement said, adding that it will have emergency telephones and fire-fighting cabinets at every 125 metre.
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