Megha Engineering bags ₹4,509-cr Zojila Tunnel

Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) has bagged the Zojila project in J&K, involving an investment of ₹4,509.50 crore. The company will start tunnelling work in October this year and the National Highways and Industrial Development Corporation (NHIDCL) will execute infrastructure projects. The Zojila project will be constructed in two sections, totalling 33 km. The first section will be 18.5 km long and the second will be constructed in the shape of a horseshoe of 14.15 km. The Srinagar-Ladakh highway is not suitable for vehicular traffic throughout the year as it is closed for six months, especially during the winter season. Even the military vehicles are unable to move under these conditions. The road tunnel has to be built between Sonmarg to Leh and Ladakh via Kargil. The project, which will ensure all-year and all-weather connectivity between J&K and Ladakh, had been stalled for almost six years and has seen cost escalation of around ₹1,600 crore after it was stranded by IL&FS Transportation Network, the road development arm of the crisis-hit Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).