NEW DELHI: The endless wait for all-weather connectivity to Ladakh just got longer, due to the crisis at IL&FS, pushing up the cost by over 20% or around Rs 1,400 crore to over Rs 8,200 crore.
With the road transport and highways ministry ousting the troubled concessionaire for the strategic projects — Zojila Pass and Z-Morh tunnels — it could take another six-seven years for the the 20.5-km tunnels on NH-1A, connecting Srinagar with Leh, to be completed.
In January 2018, the cabinet had approved the Zojila tunnel project at Rs 6,800 crore. The state-owned National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), which is responsible for building highways in hill states and north-east, had invited fresh bids after cancelling the contracts with IL&FS. Now since the cost has gone up, the agency needs to get fresh Cabinet nod.
