<span style="color: #222222;">In Ladakh Union Territory, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Mr Nitin Gadkari initiated Asia's longest ZojiLa Tunnel works virtually, by igniting ceremonial blasts, today.<br />''<br />''The 15 years old languishing project finally took off with twin blasts at East portals of Meenamarg and Baltal Thursday afternoon.<br />''<br />''On the first day , blasts conducted twice on both the portals to waste no time on ceremonies.<br />''<br />''AIR correspondent reports, at a height of 3000 meters in the Peerpanjal mountain range,  construction of Zojila tunnel is a historic necessity to provide an all weather road connectivity between Ladakh and the rest of the world.<br />''<br />''Reduced cost and construction time and aggressive Implementation of the revised plans are giving confidence in the general public this time.<br />''<br />''Minister Nitin Gadkari also sets a target for the National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) and the contractor to complete the construction before 2024.<br />''ZojiLa is a challenging and dangerous route especially during the winters. This pass on national Highway One gets closed nearly six months in a year.<br />''<br />''In completion, the single tube ZojiLa Tunnel will have a bi-directional two lane with a design speed of 80 kilo meters in the tunnel.<br />''<br />''The tunnel also will have all necessary safety features and avalanche protection structures, catch dams, snow galleries and deflector dams to give all weather and safe road connectivity.<br />''<br />''The Rs. 4,430 crore Tunnel will reduce the travel time in the stretch from three and half hours to just 15 minutes.<br />''<br />''ZojiLa tunnel will be a signature infrastructure in Ladakh region.<br />''<br />''Along with the socio economic development of the region, the tunnel also provides facility for swift movement of armed forces from other parts of the country as and when required.</span>