anant_s
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SRINAGAR: Piercing through the inner Himalayas, a new 9.2 km tunnel will shorten the driving time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours, come Sunday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel, which would be Asia's longest, cutting down the Srinagar-Jammu distance from 300 km to around 250km.
The tunnel, which took seven years to build, will act as an all-weather alternative to the existing Jammu-Srinagar highway, linking Chenani in Udhampur district with Nashri in Ramban district. It will bypass the ecologically sensitive Patnitop area, and reduce the distance between Chenani and Nashri from 41 km to 9.2 km, while also steering clear of 44 avalanche- and landslide-prone spots on the highway.
The construction, which began on May 23, 2011, involved nearly 1,500 engineers, geologists and labourers, besides skilled workers. It was supposed to be completed within five years but unhelpful weather on the thoroughfare and local disputes between laborers and contractors delayed the project by two years, officials said.
he National Highway Authority of India has spent Rs 3,720 crore on the project which has two tubes: the main tunnel and the escape tunnel. These two are internally connected through 29 cross-passages, with each located 300 metres apart.
"This state-of-the-art tunnel will also have parking spots in case of vehicle break-downs," deputy commissioner of Ramban, Aijaz Asad, said. Work on four-laning of Udhampur-Chenani and Nashri-Ramban stretches of the highway started in December 2015 and is still underway.
However, since the tunnel will bypass three major highway passenger stops, Kud, Patnitop and Batote, residents and businesses of these areas are upset that the tunnel will deprive them of their livelihood. Taking their objections into account, Asad said the J&K government was planning to rehabilitate small-time businessmen of the three stations.
There are 124 closed circuit TV cameras for surveillance inside the tunnel. In case of traffic violation, the control room will inform the traffic police deployed outside the tunnel, who will fine the errant drivers on the spot. The suffocation levels created by excessive carbon-dioxide inside the tunnel will be checked by exhausts along the way.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...-distance-by-2-hours/articleshow/57934494.cms
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Fact File
1. The length of the tunnel is 9.28 km. The world’s longest highway tunnel is 24.51 km and is in Norway.
2. It will reduce the travel distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30.11 km, which will help save fuel worth Rs 27 lakh daily.
3. Built on the lower Himalayan range at a height of 1,200 metres, it will cut travel time between the two cities by at least two hours.
4. The project cost is Rs 3,720 crore, Rs 1,200 crore more than the initial estimated cost.
5. Work on the tunnel system started on May 23, 2011.
6. The main tunnel is 13 metre in diametre, the parallel escape tunnel is 6 metre diametre and are connected by 29 cross passages at 300-metre gap.
7. The tunnel boasts of an integrated system that will control communication, ventilation, video surveillance, power supply, SOS call box, fire fighting and incident detection and an FM signal repeater.
8. It is part of a 286-km-long four-lane project on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.
9. It is meant to avoid stretches of National Highway 44 prone to avalanches and landslides. Patnitop, Kud, and Batote will be bypassed now.
10. The speed limit in the tunnel will be 50km/hour and headlights will have to be low beam
