Local Kashmiris Power India’s Longest Tunnel, the Zojila Project

Hundreds of Kashmiris are helping to build the strategic Zojila Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity between Ladakh and the rest of the country.

Mega Engineering and Industries Limited (MEIL), a Hyderabad-based firm in charge of the project, claims that local labourers and engineers’ expertise in tunneling is assisting them in meeting their deadline. Jammu and Kashmir is home to 900 of the 1000 men working on the 13-kilometer tunnel.

“I’ve learned through the perseverance and hard work. Operating a machine like a hydraulic rig is not a difficult task for me. When I drill in the middle of a tunnel, I have no fear “Baba Latief, a Bandipora resident, said.

Workers say they have the experience because they have worked on major projects in railways, roads, and power in J&K for the past 20 years. “We’ve worked on tunnelling projects before. I’m comfortable with piping, motors, and other similar tasks. This is the fourth time I’ve worked on a project like this “Sartaj Ahmad, who is installing the tunnel’s piping systems, is from Anantnag.

Over half of the 200 engineers are also residents of the area. “We come across three different geological formations. We are currently in Zojila formation, which is the most difficult “Merajudin, a geologist, agreed. Project managers applaud the role of locals as workers race to meet the deadline.

It’s a never-ending nightmare to travel between Srinagar and Leh through the Kargil district, where India fought a war in 1999. At 11,500 metres, crossing the Zojila pass is a pain. The pass, which is closed for 5 months of the year due to snowfall, is also narrow, and traffic jams are a daily occurrence in the dusty, high-altitude pass. The project will also change the logistics support that the Indian Armed Forces require to keep soldiers on the front lines in Pakistan and China well-supplied throughout the year.

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