In Ladakh, The Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Brigadier (Dr) BD Mishra (Retd) visited Zoji-La Pass to inspect the progress of the ongoing construction work on the Zoji-La Tunnel. Member of Parliament from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, and Executive Councillor, LAHDC Kargil, Mubarak Shah Naqvi were present at the site. <br />''<br />''General Manager, NHIDCL, Shiv Kumar apprised HLG of the progress of the ongoing work on the Zoji-La Tunnel. He informed that around 6 km of work on the 13.145 km-long Zoji-la Main Tunnel has been completed to date. He also informed that efforts being made to complete the construction of the ongoing work on the tunnel, which started in October 2020, by the scheduled date of September 2026.<br />'' <br />''Shiv Kumar informed about various challenges faced by them in the construction of the tunnel, including the availability of only two attack points, seepage of water, the need to work in extreme weather conditions, etc. Local labourers from Kargil engaged in the construction of the Zoji-La Tunnel apprised HLG of the issues faced by them, including the non-payment of full salary by the contractor and the delay in paying salary to them by the contractor.<br />''<br />''HLG inquired about the medical and sanitation facilities being provided to the labourers along with compensation paid to them for their long working hours. He also raised the need to engage more local labourers and also to ensure pay parity among labourers from Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. He instructed SSP Kargil to ensure that the full salary is paid to the labourers by the contractor on time, failing which punitive action must be taken against him.<br />'' <br />''HLG visited the last point of the tunnel from the eastern side where construction work is in full progress. He praised the officials/workers of NHIDCL, Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd (MEIL) and Intercontinental Consultants and Technocrats (ICT) Private Ltd for their dedication and hard work. <br />