Mumbai firm to build South-East Asia’s longest tunnel in J&K at the tune of Rs 10,050 crore

Mumbai-based IRB Infrastructure is going to work on India’s largest ever road transport project-the Zoji La tunnel-in Jammu and Kashmir.

India awarded the contract to the firm to build 14.08 kilometre tunnel over seven years at the tune of Rs 10,050 crore.

The crucial tunnel will connect Srinagar with Leh as the National Highway connecting both the regions remains suspended most of the time due to heavy snowfall.

Construction of the tunnel, which will be built at an altitude of 3,528 metres, is expected to start in October 16.

"We have received the letter of award for the project and hope to finish the preparatory work soon so that construction can start by October 2016. The project will take seven years to complete as we will have only six months a year to work," Virendra Mhaiskar, chairman and chief executive officer of IRB Infrastructure, told ET.

It is noteworthy that UPA-II had announced the construction of the project during its tenure in October 2012, but couldn’t see light of the day.

(Image: Indiatimes)