Zozilla Pass

Zozilla Pass
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday kickstarted work for  Rs 6,809-crore strategic Zojila tunnel, Asia\'s longest and strategic 14.15 kilometre-long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel, to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh. The Zojila Pass tunnel project was approved on 3 January 2018 by the Union Cabinet. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday kickstarted work for Rs 6,809-crore strategic Zojila tunnel, Asia's longest and strategic 14.15 kilometre-long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel, to provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh. The Zojila Pass tunnel project was approved on 3 January 2018 by the Union Cabinet.

The project aims at construction of 14.15 km-long two-lane bi-directional single tube tunnel with a parallel 14.2 km long egress tunnel excluding approaches between Baltal and Minamarg in the state. It will be India's longest road tunnel and Asia's longest bidirectional tunnel. The tunnel will cut down the time taken to cross the Zojila pass from three and a half hours presently to just fifteen minutes.

Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National highway and remains closed during winters due to heavy snowfall cutting off Ladakh region from Kashmir through roads for a large part of the year. Road connectivity, hence, remains disrupted in the Ladakh region stands disrupted for long periods, preventing even essential supplies from reaching people, shutting down businesses, affecting healthcare and education.

The tunnel will cut down the time taken to cross the Zojila pass from the present 3.5 hours to just 15 minutes, besides making the drive much safer and convenient. Zojila pass is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway which remains closed during winters (December to April) due to heavy snowfall and avalanches cutting off Leh-Ladakh region from Kashmir.

According to Wikipedia, Zozilla pass lies between Srinagar and Leh in the western section of the Himalayan mountain range. Though often referred to as Zojila Pass in the foreign press, the correct English translation is Zoji Pass or simply Zojila, since the suffix 'La' itself means pass in several Himalayan languages. The usage of the word "La" can also be seen in the Khardung La, Fotu La, Namika La and Pensi La etc.

In modern-day North Indian languages, 'La' and 'Darra' are both used interchangeably to mean a mountain pass. Zoji La is 9 km (5.6 mi) from Sonamarg and provides a vital link between Ladakh and Kashmir Valley. It runs at an elevation of approximately 3,528 metres (11,575 ft), and is the second highest pass after Fotu La on the Srinagar-Leh National Highway.

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