Srinagar: The opening of the four-lane Qazigund to Banihal tunnel has been delayed by almost a month, with officials saying that some electrical as well as mechanical work is still left inside the tunnel.
Earlier, the officials had said that the 8.5-km-long tunnel along the Jammu to Srinagar national highway was nearing completion and was likely to be opened for traffic by March end. In early February, Union Minister Jitendra Singh had said that the tunnel was nearly complete and would be opened soon.
Work on the 2,100-crore tunnel project started way back in June, 2011, by Navayuga Engineering Company. It has missed several deadlines in the past nine years. The officials executing the project told Kashmir Reader that the completion of the double-tube tunnel requires another three to four weeks.
“Some electro-mechanical work is still going on inside the tunnel though all the civil and construction work has been finished. Almost 95% of the overall work on the tunnel has been completed, we are only short of just 5% of work, which is expected to be completed by the end of this month,” Muneeb Tak, Chief Manager of Navayuga Engineering Company, told Kashmir Reader.
Currently, Muneeb added, work on installing CCTV cameras, jet-fans and fire extinguishers was going on inside the tunnel and was taking longer than expected. Due to which, he added, the earlier proposed time-frame for the completion of tunnel could not be achieved.
The double-tube tunnel will reduce the distance between Banihal and Qazigund by 16 km from the current 35 km. It will also prevent halting of hundreds of vehicles commuting regularly along the tough mountainous stretch, with the bypassing of Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitan Nalla, which usually remain prone to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions during winters.
Built at an average elevation of 1,790 m (5,870 ft), the tunnel is a masterpiece of engineering and has been constructed by using the Austrian tunnelling method (ATM). The opening of this tunnel along the 275-km Jammu-Srinagar highway will provide a major relief to fruit growers and traders who suffer huge losses due to the frequent blockade of the highway mostly in winters.
Talking about the progress of Qazigund-Banihal tunnel, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir PK Pole told Kashmir Reader that the work is going on war footing and the tunnel will be thrown open soon.
“Work on the tunnel is going on at a swift pace. Some electrical work was left, which will take a little more time, but the tunnel will be thrown open soon for vehicles,” Pole said.
He informed that the electrical work from the Qazigund side of the tunnel was complete, while as from the Banihal side the work was still going on. “A comprehensive power-backup system has been set up on this side, and the same will be replicated on the other side of the tunnel at Banihal,” Pole said.
He, however, didn’t provide any fixed time-frame for the completion of the tunnel and its formal opening for vehicular traffic. But, he said, the completion of work is unlikely to go beyond this month.
“Once the tunnel gets fully completed and is ready for vehicular movement, we’ll make a formal announcement about its opening,” Pole said.

KALEEM GEELANI