Govt yet to invite bids after Zojila tunnel contract was scrapped on March 3
With the Centre ordering fresh bidding for Rs 10,050 crore Zojila tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, the eagerly awaited project, that will provide all-weather road connectivity to Ladakh, will take more time. The decision to bid afresh for the prestigious project was taken in March by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari following allegations by Congress leader Digvijay Singh in January.
Digvijay had alleged that Gadkari violated the Central Vigilance Commission guidelines while awarding the letter of award to a “blue-eyed” highway construction company — Mumbai-based IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited.
The Ministry for Road Transport and Highways later revoked the contract with IRB Infrastructure Developers Ltd. The project is of strategic importance for the vast and sparsely populated Ladakh.
The construction of a 14.08-km tunnel at Zojila, the longest in South East Asia, has been a long-pending demand of people of Ladakh.
The vast Ladakh region remains cut off for over six months during winter because of heavy snowfall on the 434-km Srinagar-Leh highway and 474-km Manali-Leh highway. The needs of people and security forces are replenished through air sorties.
The UPA government had announced sanctioning of the project in 2012-13, but work had not been started yet. The Road Transport and Highways Ministry had revoked the two-stage tendering process thrice because it had received just one bid each time. On January 4, IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited won the bid, but following serious allegations of corruption and nepotism, Gadkari revoked the letter of award on March 3.
Legislative Council chairman Haji Anayat Ali and Kargil MLA Asgar Karbalai had been demanding that work on the tunnel should be started at the earliest to escape escalation of cost.
The estimated cost of the project was earlier Rs 9,090 crore, which was revised to Rs 10,050 crore. The project was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs in its meeting on October 17, 2013.
Once constructed, the tunnel will establish all-weather connectivity from Srinagar to Kargil and Leh. It will connect Sonmarg in Kashmir with the Gumri in Kargil.
“With the rapidly changing security scenario and keeping in mind the China-Pakistan economic corridor, this project should be completed at the earliest. Ladakh is indispensable for us,” said a senior Army officer. The region witnesses frequent incursions by the Chinese army.
