The ambitious double-tube tunnel from Banihal to Qazigund along the 270 kilometre long Jammu-Srinagar NH is currently going through the process of testing and commissioning and it is likely to become operational in coming weeks, the construction company officials said on Sunday. The project has been built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore. In June 2011, work on the 8.5 kilometre long tunnel was started. Once the tunnel is opened for the public, the road distance between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in the southern part of Kashmir will reduce by 16 kilometres. According to a PTI report, it will bypass Jawahar Tunnel as well as Shaitan Nalla, which during winters, is prone to slippery conditions and heavy snowfall and results in obstruction in the strategically important road connecting Kashmir to the rest of India. Read More…
