An all-weather ‘lifeline’ connecting Kashmir and Ladakh: About the Zojila tunnel

FOr decades, overwinter in Ladakh has meant closing off — roadstead certain by snowfall, supplies rationed, medical emergencies with no way out. On Tuesday, a detonation beneath the Zojila Pass moved that reality measurably closer to ending.A breakthrough blast at the East Portal of the Zojila tunnel near Minimarg in Ladakh connected the two ends of the 13-km passage beneath the Zojila Pass, completing the piercing of the mountain. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha attended the event.Tuesday marked the point at which both ends of the tunnel are now physically linked, but civil work, ventilation, electrical installation and safety systems need to be installed.“This tunnel is state-of-art. This tunnel has been constructed with world class safety standard, and it will provide all weather connectivity to Ladakh. I visited Ladakh when I was BJP president and people told me that everything remains closed for six months and there’s connectivity. It pained me to see how the locals here are facing so many difficulties,” Gadkari said. Also Read I BRO’s effort to keep Zoji La open during winter faces avalanche setbackWhat is the Zojila tunnel?The tunnel is a horseshoe-shaped, two-lane stretch that runs 13.1 km beneath the Zojila Pass at approximately 11,578 feet above sea level. It is 9.5 metres wide and 7.5 metres high.It traces the Srinagar-Leh National Highway, with its western portal at Baltal in central Kashmir's Sonmarg, and its eastern end at Minimarg in Drass, Ladakh. An 18-km approach road feeds it at either end. The full project, including approach roads and bridges, stretches 31 km from Sonmarg to Minimarg.Executing agency Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) deployed the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) — a technique that uses the surrounding rock as part of the load-bearing structure — to drive through the geologically fragile Himalayas. The civilian caseThe Zojila Pass is snowbound during the winter months every year. So is the Manali-Leh road, the only alternative surface route. In the absence of scheduled air services to Kargil, that leaves residents effectively cut off each winter—unable to move freely for education, healthcare or trade at the time.When the tunnel opens, crossing time over the pass will fall to 15 minutes, and the route will remain operational year-round.“For decades, people of the region faced immense hardships due to the closure of the Zojila Pass in winter. The tunnel would significantly improve the lives of residents by facilitating easier access to education, healthcare, tourism, trade and commerce,” the CM said Tuesday. The strategic caseThe tunnel’s significance is not only civilian. The Srinagar-Leh highway is India’s primary military supply artery to Ladakh.During the 1999 Kargil War, Pakistani forces targeted positions overlooking the highway to choke the Indian military's supply lines.The projectThe project, Gadkari said on Tuesday, was prioritised by the Narendra Modi-led central government.“Our government came to power in 2014 under the leadership of PM Modi and he gave the highest priority to infrastructure development. I was handed over the responsibility of this department and then this project was initiated. The original tender of this project was ₹12,000 crore and I am happy to announce that all the work related to this project has been completed in ₹7,000 crore and we have saved at least ₹5,000 crore,” the Union minister said.He added: “This is not just a tunnel but a lifeline.”The project was originally scheduled for completion by September this year, but suffered a two-year delay.In a parliamentary reply to National Conference MP Mian Altaf Ahmed Larvi, Gadkari had attributed the delay to the Covid-19 pandemic, a 2024 terrorist attack on the Sonmarg Tunnel Project, and extreme weather conditions.Tuesday's breakthrough was achieved six months ahead of the revised schedule, officials of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), which is overseeing the project, said.Also Read I 5 bodies found after massive avalanche at Zoji La in Ladakh; Srinagar-Leh highway blocked When will the tunnel open?The tunnel is expected to open to the public in February 2028. Civil work will take another seven to eight months and electrical installation will follow.The Zojila tunnel is the centrepiece of a broader effort to build an unbroken all-weather road corridor between Srinagar and Leh. A preceding link — the Z-Morh tunnel at Sonmarg — was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January. Once complete, the Zojila tunnel will extend that corridor to Minimarg.The tunnel addresses road connectivity, but Kargil remains without direct air services — a gap that Abdullah used Tuesday's occasion to press. He appealed to Gadkari to use his influence to bring scheduled flights to the region.“Another dream needs to be realised, that is, regular and direct air service to Kargil. I had tried but without any success. This is another long-standing demand of the people of Kargil,” Abdullah said, according to PTI.(With inputs from agencies)