Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Aug 1: The work on much-talked about Zojila tunnel to provide round the year road connectivity to the Ladakh region with rest of the country is unlikely to begin before April next year as Ministry of Road and Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has transferred the project to National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and with the change in implementing agency several formalities are required to be carried out before finally short-listing the firm for execution of project.
The delay in start of work, which surfaced for the second time ever since the announcement of the project, has again come as a shock to the populace of the cold desert region, which at present remains disconnected with rest of the world through road link for several months in a year.
The project of construction of Zojila tunnel including approaches on National Highway-IA (Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri Road) was announced by the Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on November 7, 2015 and it was officially stated that work will begin in the month of June 2016 to provide all weather connectivity to Ladakh region.
Thereafter, in the month of January 2016 it was announced 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.
Even a Letter of Award was also given to this company by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnel at Zojila Pass, which is situated on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway.
However, in the month of March this year, 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. Subsequently, vide Notice Inviting Tender (NIT) dated March 15, 2016 the project was retendered.
Now, the work has again got delayed as the project has been transferred to National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) by the Ministry and due to change in the implementing agency the amendments had to be carried out to Request For Qualification (RFQ), Request For Proposal (RFP), Draft Concession Agreement (DCA) and Draft Integrity Pact (DIP), sources told EXCELSIOR.
Due to this the bid due date has also been extended up to August 31, 2016 and the entire bidding process will culminate in short-listing of firm for execution of project not before end of current year, sources said, adding “by that time entire Zojila area would be snow-bound and it would not be possible for the shortlisted firm to mobilize even men and machinery before March-April next year keeping in view the terrain and climatic conditions of the Kashmir valley during winter”.
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 last year.
The latest development has come as a shock for the people of entire Ladakh region as they have seen complete one year lapsing even without short-listing of firm for execution of the project. 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 the air fares remain exorbitantly high, which a normal Ladakhi cannot afford to.
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