Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) visited Zoji-La Pass to inspect the progress of the ongoing construction work on the Zoji-La Tunnel.

Member of Parliament (MP) from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal and Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil, Mubarak Shah Naqvi were present at the site during the infection.

General Manager, NHIDCL, Shiv Kumar apprised the LG of the progress of the work. He informed him that work on around 6 km of the 13.145 km-long Zoji-la Main Tunnel has been completed so far. Efforts are on to complete the construction of the tunnel that started in October 2020 as per schedule by September 2026.

Shiv Kumar also informed about the inclusion of exhaust and fresh air ducts and ventilation shafts on the bi-directional single tube. Lay-bys have been incorporated into the plan in case of the breakdown of a vehicle inside the tunnel. Besides medical and sanitation facilities, compensation has been paid to the workers who work in shifts at the site.

The workers here face various challenges while carrying out the construction activities, including availability of only two attack points, seepage of water, the need to work in extreme weather conditions, etc.

Local labourers from Kargil engaged in the construction of the Zoji-La Tunnel apprised the LG of their problems that included non-payment of full salary by the contractor and the delay in salary.

The LG instructed SSP Kargil to ensure timely payment of full salary to the labourers by the contractor, failing which punitive action must be taken against him.

The LG visited the last point of the tunnel from the eastern side where construction work is in full progress. He praised the officials and workers of NHIDCL, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) and Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats (ICT) Private Ltd for their dedication and hard work.

Secretary to the LG, Ravinder Kumar; Deputy Commissioner, Kargil, Santosh Sukhdeve; SSP Kargil, Anayat Ali Chaudhary; Executive Director, NHIDCL, Padam Kumar; Project Manager, MEIL, Harpal Singh; Team Leader, ICT Pvt Ltd, Yusuf Eshaqpuri and other officials were present during the LG’s visit.