India, Aug. 1 -- The completion of the 13-km Zojila tunnel, Asia's longest previously scheduled to be ready by September 2026 for all-weather connectivity between Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh's Leh, has been delayed by over two years. Union transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday told Lok Sabha that the tunnel will now be completed by February 2028.

The tunnel is expected to reduce the average time taken to cross Zojila, the 5,008 metre treacherous Himalayan pass along the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway, from three hours to 20 minutes. It aims to ease civilian traffic flow and enhance logistics support for armed forces deployed in the Ladakh sector, particularly against the backdrop of the 2020 standoff with...