Soon, Srinagar to Leh in 15 minutes as Cabinet approves Zojila Pass

Srinagar : With Cabinet giving green signal to Zojila Pass tunnel project worth Rs 6,089 crore, the travel time between Srinagar and Leh will come down to 15 minutes from current 3.5 hours.

Chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs agreed to approve the project in Jammu and Kashmir to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

“Zojila tunnel will be the longest bi-directional tunnel in Asia. (Its) construction period (will be) seven years because of a very difficult terrain where in some areas temperature dips to minus 45 degree celsius. The tunnel shall be a engineering marvel as first of its kind in such a geographical area,” road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said.

Gadkari also announced that work on the project will begin from this year with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying foundation stone soon.

Zojila pass is located at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway which remains closed during winters (December to April) due to heavy snowfall and avalanches cutting off Leh-Ladakh region from Kashmir.