MEIL completes 5-km Zojila tunnel work

Hyderabad: Hyderabad-based infrastructure major, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), has achieved a milestone of completing 5-km tunnelling work, as part of the 18-km-long all-weather Zojila tunnels in a record time of 14 months.

The project of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), being executed by the MEIL, has been taken up to ensure connectivity between Srinagar and Ladakh throughout the year without any interruptions. The Zojilla Tunnels -- Nilgrar 1, 2 and Zojila main tunnel –is being expeditiously executed, despite unfavourable weather conditions such as snowfall, and blizzard at an altitude of 3,528 meters above mean sea level.

Zojila project, Asia's longest bidirectional tunnel, is a challenging development project in India for strategic reasons too.

Harpal Singh, Project Head, Zojila Tunnel, said, "Our team has executed this project in toughest conditions with dedication and hardwork." The current winter witnessed the highest-ever snowfall in the history of Jammu and Kashmir with temperatures dropping to -30 degrees Celsius.

The project consists of three tunnels, four bridges, snow protection structures, culverts, catch dam, deflector dam, cut and cover tunnel, and many such engineering feats.

The Union Minister for Roads and Transport Nitin Gadkari had lauded the efforts of MEIL in executing the project at a fast pace during his earlier visit. The minister had said that this project would improve socio-economic conditions, transport, and tourism of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.