NEWS

Zojila tunnel deadline advanced to 2024

ZOJILA TUNNEL

• India’s longest road tunnel
• Asia’s longest bi-directional tunnel
• Total Length – 14.15 km
• Project begun in 2018
• A connecting tunnel from Z-Morh on NH1 to the Zojila tunnel will be built in the Zojila Ghats between Sonmarg and Kargil
• Will allow travel between Srinagar and Ladakh throughout the year
• Expected to lead to integrated development of both Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh
• Work on the entire 33-km span is divided into two divisions

ZOJILA PASS

• High mountain pass in Jammu and Kashmir
• Located on National Highway 1 connecting Srinagar in Kashmir Valley to Leh in Ladakh region
• Runs at an elevation of approximately 3,528 metres (11,575 ft), and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.
• Every year due to heavy snowfall, vehicle flow stops for 4 months during winter from December to April
• During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, it was seized by Pakistani supported invaders in 1948 in their campaign to capture Ladakh. The pass was re-captured by Indian forces on 1 November in an assault codenamed Operation Bison, which achieved success primarily due to the surprise use of tanks, then the highest altitude at which tanks had operated in combat in the world