Complete Zojila tunnel by 2023: Gadkari

Baltal (Jammu & Kashmir): Union Minister for Roads and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday urged MEIL to complete the construction of strategic Zojila tunnel in J&K by December 2023.

As per the original contract, the 14.15-kilometre long tunnel, which provides year-long connectivity between Ladakh and Kashmir, is scheduled to be completed by the year 2026. MEIL earlier said it would complete the project ahead of schedule by a year.

"The work on the Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel is going on at faster pace. The quality of the construction is good. But it's better if the construction is completed by December 2023 as we will face General Elections in 2024.

I know Megha Engineering is capable of doing it," the Union Minister said during a media interaction at the project site after inspecting the progress of the project on Tuesday.

When asked about the Minister's request on Zojila tunnel, MEIL Managing Director PV Krishna Reddy told Bizz Buzz that the company would try to do it.

"Nothing is impossible. We have to do it when the government says so," he said. The Minister announced that the Centre would spend additional Rs2 lakh crore on the development of J&K in coming years.

"Since BJP came to power at the Centre in 2014, we completed projects worth Rs 1 lakh crore and projects worth additional Rs 1 lakh crore are under various stages of development.

We will allocate Rs 2 lakh crore more," he said.