Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday advanced by two years the deadline for completion of “Asia’s largest tunnel” at Zojila, that will provide an all-weather road to Ladakh, apparently turning the project into a pitch for 2024 Lok Sabha polls amid allegations that the promise of development in Jammu and Kashmir has remained elusive under the BJP-led central government.

“It is Asia’s longest tunnel and after reviewing the work (today), they (company engaged in its construction) have promised me that they are trying to complete the project by 2023-end, that is one-and-a-half years to two years earlier. This is not a commitment. This is a target,” Gadkari told reporters.

The Union minister for road transport and highways was here on a two-day visit to review the progress of various development works.

In a lighter vein later, the minister said the official target for Zojila tunnel is 2026 but seeing the progress he can say that the project can be completed by December 2023.

“This is the target we have set because we have an election in 2024,” he said.

Gadkari said they are trying to hasten the project “without compromising on the quality” and are using “world’s best technology” to complete the tunnel.

Various central governments have set ambitious targets for high-profile projects in Jammu and Kashmir but they have rarely been met.

The world’s highest railway bridge, being built at a height of 359 metres above the river bed, was originally planned to be completed in 2009 but 12 years later it remains incomplete.

The government is constructing the strategically important Z-Morh and Zojila tunnels on the Srinagar-Kargil highway, which will provide all-season road link to Ladakh. The length of the Z-Morh tunnel is 6.5km. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, which is constructing the twin tunnels, put the length of Zojila at 14.15km but the minister said it was 13.5km.