- Government plans development of new hill station near Zojila tunnel
- Gadkari believes the project will open new employment opportunities along with economic profits.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari has planned a meeting with Lieutenant Governors of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir next week to discuss the development of India’s very own new hill station which will be shared by the two union territories.
He also claimed that the new hill station will be even more beautiful than the world famous city of Davos in Switzerland famous for hosting the annual World Economic Forum meeting..
What Is The Government Planning?
According to reports, the Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways and the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said, “We are planning to make a hill city, more attractive than Davos on the picturesque high-altitude 18 km terrain between Zojila tunnel and Z-Morh tunnel”
Zojila Pass which is situated at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway witnesses heavy snowfall. This will certainly improve the tourist experience and make the hill station more scenic.
Since both Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir are going to be equal stakeholders in this project, a meeting with their Lieutenant Governors will be taken next week to discuss acquiring the land as equity. The minister also added, “A nominal rupee one lease rent may be there and they will give land as equity,”
The project designed and planned with a Swiss architect is scheduled to get completed in 6 years.
What Is The Motivation Behind This Project?
Sharing his vision about the hill station, the minister said: “We will develop world-class infrastructure there including road, transport, water, communication. We develop and sell the plots by making plans of hotels, restaurants, resorts, convention centres, residential accommodation. This in turn could fetch rich dividends.”
The project will open the door to public-private investment and provide a large number of jobs besides increasing tourism “The world-class project will change the dynamics of both Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir territories and create huge employment”, he added. The extensive use of the tunnel will also help in fetching more toll.
Earlier in October, Gadkari had launched the strategic project of Asia’s longest tunnel, Zojila, to ensure all weather connectivity between Srinagar valley and Leh which remains closed in winters due to heavy snowfall. The success of this project will result in avalanche-free travel on the Srinagar-Leh section of NH1 with a reduced travel time of 3 hours to 15 minutes.
The government had also planned another project for the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir in January. This APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway will be built at a cost of Rs 2,379 crore.