![\"Zoji](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-131595855,imgsize-127326,width-400,height-225,resizemode-4\/zoji-la-tunnel.jpg\" "\\".\\"")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nZOJI LA (BALTAL): Zoji La tunnel, an upcoming 13. 1km strategic corridor that will provide all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh, is on the cusp of a defining moment with a \u201cbreakthrough\u201d final blast set for Tuesday.Only three meters of rock remain now and will be blasted before the two ends of the tunnel — at Sonamarg (Baltal) in Kashmir and Minamarg in Ladakh — meet.Emotions ran high Monday as workers, engineers, and officials gathered near the site, preparing it for Union highways minister Nitin Gadkari<\/a> to press a button that will set off the \u201cbreakthrough blast\u201d and mark completion of the excavation phase.The tunnel\u2019s end-to-end will improve ventilation and allow work to accelerate on the remaining phases of the project, expected to be completed in two years. Once ready, it will be one of the world\u2019s longest single-tube, bidirectional road tunnels at such an altitude. \u201cIndia\u2019s most challenging infrastructure taking shape in the remote heights of the Himalayas — Zojila Tunnel!\u201d Gadkari posted on X on Monday.Harpal Singh, joint chief operating officer (COO) of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), the company executing the project, said the minister would approach the \u201cbreakthrough point\u201d from the Ladakh side, reflecting the tunnel\u2019s importance for the region\u2019s connectivity and India\u2019s strategic interests. After the blast, a limited number of vehicles will be allowed to pass through in a symbolic move.The project employs around 1,400 workers, who braved extreme temperatures ranging from -20\u00b0C to -30\u00b0C nearly 100 days a year. Five major avalanches hit the area, two of them so severe that machinery and workshops were damaged. \u201cNearly 80% of our workforce is from Kashmir. They have done a wonderful job,\u201d Singh said.For Sanjay Sharma, 47, project supervisor since work began in Oct 2020, Tuesday\u2019s event will be historic. \u201cThe breakthrough is a big moment for us,\u201d Sharma said. COO Singh echoed the view. \u201cI am 67, and I don\u2019t think I can get this opportunity at any other time in my life now. I am lucky,\u201d Singh said.Megha MD PV Krishna Reddy hailed the workers for executing the project in a Himalayan region so far cut off for long spells every year due to snowfall, avalanches and other extreme weather conditions. \u201cAll those involved in it have done a great job,\u201d Reddy said.<\/div>\n