DOGRA HERALD BUREAU
New Delhi, Nov 21
The 68-year-old Jawahar Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir has been upgraded using state-of-the-art modern technology to enhance security, safety and comfort of users, and will be opened for the public in December, officials said on Thursday.
The 2.5 km twin-tube tunnel has historically served as a vital passage through the Pir-Panjal Range connecting the Kashmir Valley and Leh with the rest of India.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has carried out extensive renovations of the 1956-built tunnel, the defence ministry said in a statement.
“It was upgraded to enhance the security, safety and comfort of the users using state-of-the-art modern technology, thus bringing it at par with the modern tunnels,” it said.
The renovated tunnel will be opened to the public in December, the ministry said.
The rehabilitation was carried out through engineering, procurement and construction modes at a cost of Rs 62.5 crore funded by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. It has been completed in almost one year through ‘Project Beacon’ of the BRO, the statement said.
The upgrade comprised civil as well as electro-mechanical work. It also includes 76 high-definition CCTV cameras, smoke and fire sensors, SCADA systems and a centralised monitoring room for real-time supervision, a senior official said.
It acts as an alternate route to National Highway 44. Vehicles that are not allowed to cross the newly constructed Quazikund-Banihal tunnel such as oil tankers, explosive-laden and gasoline vehicles, will use this tunnel, the ministry said.
