Raja Syed Rather
Srinagar, Jan 08 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the Kashmir Valley on January 13 (Monday) to inaugurate the strategic Z-Morh tunnel that would allow all-weather connectivity to popular tourist destination – Sonamarg with Srinagar.
The 6.5 km long tunnel along Srinagar-Leh highway in the Ganderbal district has been built at a cost of Rs 2,400 crore.
Sources said that PM Modi will arrive in Kashmir on Monday next week to inaugurate the tunnel himself.
This will be PM Modi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the 2024 assembly elections and the formation of elected government in the Union Territory.
The tunnel is being constructed in an area prone to snow avalanches, making the road to Sonamarg impassable during most part of the winter.
The tunnel would provide all-weather connectivity to the renowned tourist destination with Srinagar. It is the key part of the larger Zojila tunnel project – the longest road tunnel in India – being built to allow all-weather connectivity to Ladakh with the Kashmir Valley.
The tunnel was recently targeted after terrorists stormed one of the construction sites of the tunnel. Seven workers, including a doctor were killed in the terrorist attack on October 20 last year.
The tunnel was originally planned to be built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in 2012, but it was re-tendered later by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to a private company.
Meanwhile, chief minister Omar Abdullah, in a post on X, stated that Jammu and Kashmir looks forward to the inauguration of the vital infra project in the coming day. He said that the asset will be a game changer for the expansion of winter tourism in the Valley.
“J&K, especially central Kashmir, looks forward to the inauguration of a vital piece of infrastructure in the coming days. This asset will be a game changer for the expansion of winter tourism in the valley,” he said—(KNO)
