Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 20: Union Government is all set to miss the timeline for start of work on Zojila tunnel for providing all weather connectivity to the Ladakh region as fresh tendering process has just been initiated following cancellation of earlier one. The delay has come as a shock to the populace of the cold desert region, which remains disconnected with rest of the world through road communication for several months in a year.
The Union Minister for Road and Surface Transport, Nitin Gadkari had on November 7, 2015 announced that work on the Zojila tunnel would begin in the month of June 2016 to provide all weather connectivity to Ladakh region.
This announcement was made in the presence of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, who had come to dedicate 450 Mega Watt Baglihar Hydro Electric Power Project Phase-II to the nation. This decision was widely appreciated by the people of Ladakh region as this was their long pending demand and all weather connectivity would mitigate majority of their grievances.
In the month of January this year, it was announced with much enthusiasm by the Union Government that IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd, one of the largest Built Own Transfer road developers in India has been selected for building Southeast Asia’s longest tunnel at Zojila pass at an estimated cost of Rs 10,050 crore.
This company was even given a Letter of Award by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnel at Zojila Pass, which is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway.
However, early this month, Union Government had to order rebidding of the strategic Zojila pass tunnel contract in view of doubts raised in respect of allotment of project to IRB Infrastructure. Now, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has retendered the project vide Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) dated March 15, 2016.
“The fresh tendering process is unlikely to complete by June this year, which was the time-line fixed by the Union Minister for start of work on the tunnel, as the last date for submission of applications/bids for Request For Qualification (RFQ) is June 30, 2016”, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
“What to talk of June, the Ministry would not be able to start construction work during the current year as following completion of RFQ process, technical competence and financial condition of the interested parties is to be evaluated before short-listing the companies and then finally issuing of Letter of Award”, sources further said.
This process would in normal course take time up to August ending and thereafter the selected company would have to mobilize the men and machinery for formally start of work, which is again a time-consuming process for such a major project. In the meanwhile, the weather conditions in the Zojila area would become most unfavourable for any construction activity because the area witnesses unprecedented snowfall during winters.
“In this way, the Union Government is all set to miss the timeline for start of work on the project”, sources said, adding “the development has come as a shock for the populace of Ladakh, who otherwise were optimistic about start of work on the project from middle of this year”. The road travel is considered as cheapest mode of transportation by the people of Ladakh as on one side there is limited air service and on the other side the air fares remain exorbitantly high, which a normal Ladakhi cannot afford.
It is pertinent to mention here that project involves construction of 14.08 kilometer long tunnel and approaches on National Highway (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri Road). This project has a strategic and socio-economic importance as it will provide much needed all weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh.
The tunnel project is part of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Rs 80,000-crore development package for Jammu and Kashmir, which he had announced in November.
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