Umaisar Gull Ganie
Srinagar, Nov 20: The historic 2.5-km-long Jawahar Tunnel, a vital link that served as the primary gateway to the Kashmir Valley for decades, is nearing completion of comprehensive renovation with state-of-the-art infrastructure upgrades.
Initiated in July 2023 under the Border Roads Organisation’s (BRO) Project BEACON, the Rs 62.5 crore project aims to modernize the 5-kilometer twin-tube tunnel while preserving its historical and strategic significance.
Constructed in 1956 by the Government of India, the Jawahar Tunnel has long been an essential passage through the Pir Panjal range, connecting the Kashmir Valley with the rest of India.
The restoration, carried out by Mosh Varaya Infrastructure Limited, includes advanced safety measures and technological upgrades to enhance its functionality and user experience.
Although the Banihal-Qazigund four-lane tunnel, opened in 2021, now handles most civilian traffic, the Jawahar Tunnel remains crucial for transporting fuel tankers, hazardous material trucks, and as an alternative route during emergencies or adverse weather conditions.
Commander 760 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), Amiya Shrivastava, said: “Jawahar Tunnel is a twin-tube tunnel, which is 2.5 km long. It was constructed by the Government of India in 1956. As you know, it has been many years. It was necessary to renovate and rehabilitate this tunnel. So, we took up the task of rehabilitating Jawahar Tunnel. We wanted to incorporate all the new facilities that have come in the tunnels. In this regard, MoRTH had given us a budget, which is a part of National Highway 444. So, the work of rehabilitation has been done with the help of an EPC contract of Rs. 62.5 crores. And its completion time was one year. This work started in 2023 and is almost ready in 2024.”
He elaborated on the upgrades: “Earlier, there were no CCTV cameras, sensors to detect smoke, jet fans were not available. Apart from this, the problem of seepage, the surface on which the vehicles run on the pavement was also broken after a long period of use. After that, new work has been done on all of this. Tunnel monitoring and SCADA software has been installed in this. Tunnel monitoring will be done in real-time from a control room, which we will keep an eye on. For any kind of smoke, fire hazard, state-of-the-art equipment for firefighting has been installed. CCTV cameras have been installed. A telebag facility has been installed. In addition to this, new facilities have been added for lighting, and some improvements have been made. So in this way, the tunnel has been completely renovated.”
He added: “I can tell you that people will get a lot of convenience from this. Travel time will also be reduced because the road from Banihal to Qazigund has also been strengthened recently, this year. So, let’s assume that the time it used to take a traveler from Banihal to Qazigund was 45 to 50 minutes, that time has been reduced to at least 20 to 25 minutes. So, it is done for the convenience of the common people. Not only will it save time, but the travellers who want to travel will have to pay toll tax, which is due to the passage of the Navyog Tunnel. Due to the passage of this Jawahar Tunnel, no toll tax has been paid.” (KNO)
