The delay in execution of projects and the resulting cost escalation is nothing new in Jammu and Kashmir. The same holds true for strategically important Zojila tunnel. When the 14.2 km tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh, was approved by the Congress-led UPA-II the project was estimated to cost Rs 6,800 crore.
In the past few years the project has got mired intocontroversies, one after another, and there has hardly been any work undertakenon the mega project.
An official said the entire project cost has risen by atleast Rs 1,000 crore, after the Government of India scrapped the contractawarded to the crisis-hit infrastructure leasing and financial services(IL&FS).
Since 2018, the construction work on the project hasremained completely suspended, said the official.
Now, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) hasengaged National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL) –a fully-owned subsidiary of Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways(MoRTH), for undertaking fresh bidding process of the tunnel.
A senior executive of NHIDCL said the project cost revisioncommittee of NHIDCL has approved upward revision of the project by over Rs 1000core, accounting various factors such as inflation, increase in labor cost andmaterial. The revised project cost will go up to Rs 8,000 crore.
The cost revision proposal has been sent to the Union RoadsMinistry which is likely to approval it, he said adding the deadline for tenderprocess has also been extended in view of the cost revision.
At 14.2 kms, it will be country’s longest road tunnel, saidthe official and Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel.
The tunnel that was scheduled for completion in five yearswould cut down the time taken to cross the Zojila Pass from 3.5 hours to barely15 minutes.
The Zojila Pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 ft onSrinagar-Kargil-Leh highways and remains closed during winters owing to heavysnowfall, cutting off Ladakh completely from Kashmir for six months.