With the military confrontation with China in Ladakh putting extra pressure on mobilisation of men and machinery in the past two years, around 1,000 workers this winter stayed put in snow-bound Sonamarg in central Kashmir to reduce the deadline by two years to have an all-weather connectivity with Ladakh through 18-km long multiple tunnels to the cross treacherous Zojila mountain pass.
With the backdrop still covered with snow, Harpal Singh, project in-charge of the Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd. (MEIL), exuded confidence about the opening of the Zojila tunnel for defence forces by 2024 and emergency services, two years ahead of the 2026 deadline. This will ensure that the mobilisation of the Army and machines to the strategic cold desert is no longer affected due to five to six months of closure caused by snowfall.
"We are increasing the strength of workers from 1,000, who worked all through the tough winter period, to 2,500 in the summer. There is a long border with Pakistan and China in this region. This tunnel will provide an all-weather link with Ladakh and help Army to defend and safeguard the motherland better, given the confrontation on the borders," Mr. Singh said.
According to the official figures, India shares 3488 km of Border with China and 1597 km runs through Ladakh. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inspected the progress of work in September last year and pressed for early completion of the strategic road, as the talks between India and China showed little progress on the border confrontation.
"We decided to work in the harsh winter months this year. Except for policemen at a local police station and army patrol, Sonamarg, at an altitude of 8,999 feet, was deserted and under snow. We had to create 13 km access road by using eight loaders and slope lowers in October last year and started work at the high altitude, though blizzards, snowfall and at a totally isolated place," Mr. Singh said.
Officials said the temperature dropped to even minus 40 degrees Celsius. "There was sub-zero temperature during the day as well," Mr. Singh said, who saw groups of Ladakhi brown and black bears hibernating near the places where the men were put up. "The animals were very friendly though," he added.
A total of 18-km-long tunnels, split into three, is under construction .
“The Nilgrar Tunnel 1, which is 468 meters long and the Nilgrar Tunnel 2, 1976 meters long, is already through. The Zojila tunnel, which is a single-tube tunnel of 13 km in length, is under construction,” Mr. Singh said.
‘Reduce travel time’
The tunnel will connect Baltal in Kashmir with Minamarg in Ladakh. "This will reduce travel time by two and a half hours. Once the tunnels are through, one can drive from Sonamarg to Minimarg in less than 30 minutes. At present it takes two to three hours to cross the Zojila pass, which is prone to landslides and shooting stones," Mr. Singh.
Arun. P, an MIEL official from Pondicherry, said the pressing need of defence personnel in Ladakh in the wake of China's threat "motivated the workers to work harder".
Officials said working on the relatively younger Himalayan range was making it difficult to complete the project faster. "We are not able to drill more than four to five metres of mountain a day," Mr. Singh said.
Besides the multiple tunnels, four bridges were also constructed to realign the National Highway in Sonamarg. The total cost of the project is ₹4,500 crores. The first two tunnels, which will provide an all-weather road to Baltal, will open around Deepavali later this year.
