Significance of India’s Longest Road Tunnel Zojila

Context

The Zojila Tunnel project has made significant progress with more than 13 km out of 14.15 km length excavated.

Key Highlights

• It will be India’s longest road tunnel once it’s completed, and one of Asia’s most significant high-altitude infrastructure projects.
• The purpose of the tunnel is to create a road link between Kashmir and Ladakh, which will open up the region to all-weather access and ease the reliance on the difficult-to-navigate Zojila Pass.

Strategic Importance of Zojila Tunnel

• The tunnel sits at a height of more than 11 000 feet in the tough terrain of the Himalaya Mountains.
• It is of high strategic importance for Defence Logistics, facilitating quicker deployment of troops, equipment and supplies to Ladakh.
• It enhances India’s border infrastructure in a delicate border area near the border with the international community.
• It boosts national security, creating uninterrupted connectivity even in the toughest winters.

Engineering Feat and Infrastructure Scale

• The project will feature state-of-the-art tunnelling methods to navigate through harsh weather conditions and geology.
• It involves the building of tunnel structures of twin tubes, along with bridges and snow galleries.
• The total development of the corridor is approximately 33 km of highways and connections.
• This project is part of a bigger infrastructure push of several tunnels in the Himalayas.

Economic and Regional Development Impact

• The tunnel will cut travel time from Kashmir to Ladakh from more than 10 hours to almost 2 to 3 hours in the connected sections.
• It will link up people for the year-round instead of separate seasons to increase tourism and trade.
• This will help lower transportation expenses and increase efficiency of supply chains in isolated areas.
• To create jobs and stimulate regional development.

Safety and Connectivity Benefits

• The existing route over Zojila Pass is susceptible to avalanches, landslides and winter closures for almost 5 months of the year.
• The tunnel will help to minimise road accidents due to dangerous topographical conditions.
• It will provide seamless civilian mobility and access to critical services in winter.
• Emergency response and medical evacuations will be quicker and more efficient.
• Project execution challenges:
  • The project has been hampered by severe climatic and geological conditions.
  • Expensive and more complicated construction at a high level.
  • Progress is hampered by limited working seasons as a result of heavy snowfall.
• Logistics and manpower management are still issues in remote areas.

Way Forward

• Strategic and economic benefits will be greatest if the project is completed on time, by 2028.
• Improve the use of modern tunnelling and monitoring methods.
• Environmental sustainability actions need to be part of the construction system.
• Sustaining the planning for continued maintenance after the operationalisation is crucial.

Conclusion

• The Zojila Tunnel is a project of an unprecedented kind, connecting Kashmir and Ladakh.
• It enhances India’s strategic defence posture and also helps to enhance civilian connectivity.
• The project is an example of India’s efforts towards building resilient and all-weather infrastructure projects in the Himalayas.

Source: The Indian Express

Mains PYQ

Q. To what extent is Article 370 of the Indian Constitution, bearing marginal note “Temporary provision with respect to the State of Jammu and Kashmir”, temporary? Discuss The future prospects of this provision in the context of Indian polity. (2016)

Download as PDF