One hundred and thirteen kilometers away from Quetta is a mountain range called Khawaja Imran’s mountain range. In this mountain range, between Shanzla and Sheila Bagh, there is the world’s largest railway tunnel of its time, which is called the Khojak Tunnel. There is a tunnel whose picture used to be on the obsolete five rupee note.
The construction of this tunnel started on April 14, 1888, it is 5 kilometers long and around eight hundred workers died in its construction and most of them were buried nearby. Twenty-six bricks have been installed. The first row of workers used to dig while the back bricks were laid and the back row was laid from them. Due to the absence of heavy machinery, all the digging work was done by human hands.
For the construction of this tunnel, 80 tons of water would have been consumed on a daily basis, six thousand five hundred and ninety four lamps would have been lit to work day and night, which would have lit the entire tunnel from the inside, for the refreshment of the workers, famous in the area of today’s India. Shela, the dancer of the time, was called in to dance at night and create some entertainment for the tired laborers.
Now coming to the most interesting aspect of this interesting and strange tunnel, according to the tunnel engineer who surveyed it, it would take 3 years 4 months and 21 days if the tunnel is dug from both sides of the mountain. Later, the digging workers from both sides will meet each other.
According to the estimate given by the engineer on September 5, 1891, this tunnel was to be completed, the scheduled date was getting closer and closer and the end was not being found, some people started spreading rumors that the workers lost the way and left the way. They have moved away, the engineer did the wrong survey, due to poor planning, crores will drown, but the engineer had hope.
On the appointed date, the last bolts of the track to be laid on both sides were to be put in. Until twelve o’clock on the day, no news came from inside the tunnel. The engineer was still walking restlessly all night. He felt that today was his day. Knowledge deceived him, today his biggest dream was crumbling instead of being fulfilled, the engineer got up secretly and went to the place on top of the hill where Sheila used to dance at night. Moments looked over the edge of the tunnel and jumped from the top of the hill into the deep ditch, and almost at the same time the last wall of sand collapsed between the digging workers advancing towards each other.
The world’s largest Khojak tunnel was completed, after hugging each other, the workers from both sides ran in the opposite direction and shouted slogans and walked two and a half kilometers out of the tunnel on both sides. There was a celebration, someone thought of the engineer and when they searched, the engineer was missing, after a long time someone pointed out a human corpse in the ditch and when it was seen, it was the same engineer who killed all the world. surveyed the tunnel and prepared its feasibility and jumped off a cliff to avoid regret if his commitment was not fulfilled by the stipulated time.
There will be many such incidents in history.
It is also the world’s largest railway tunnel
Transferred For further details about this syringe, my book “The Enchanting Town of Rails” is available.
