SRINAGAR, 13 JAN

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the strategically important Z-Morh tunnel in the Sonamarg area of Jammu and Kashmir which will make the tourist resort accessible round the year.

After inaugurating the Rs 2,700 crore project, the prime minister went inside the tunnel and interacted with the project officials. He also met the construction workers who worked meticulously amid harsh conditions to complete the tunnel.

Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were also present at the inauguration.

The PM landed in Srinagar at 10.45 am and then flew to Sonamarg for the inauguration. He will also address a public meeting.

This is his first visit to Jammu and Kashmir after the assembly elections in September-October last year.

The 6.5 km-long two-lane bi-directional road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district is equipped with a parallel 7.5-metre escape passage for emergencies.

Situated at an altitude of over 8,650 feet above sea level, the tunnel will enhance all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg en route to Leh, bypassing routes prone to landslides and avalanches.

The tunnel will also promote tourism by ensuring year-round connectivity to Sonamarg.

Along with the Zojila tunnel, set to be completed by 2028, the Z-Morh tunnel will reduce the distance between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh from 49 km to 43 km and boost vehicle speed from 30 km/hr to 70 km/hr.

The enhanced connectivity will also boost defence logistics, drive economic growth and socio-cultural integration across Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The work on the Z-Morh tunnel began in May 2015 and it was expected to be completed by 2016-17.

However, it was completed in almost a decade as the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), the initial concessionaire for executing the project, stopped work in 2018 due to financial stress.

The foundation stone of the Rs 2,716.90 crore project was laid in October 2012 by the then minister for surface transport C P Joshi in the presence of his then cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah, then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

The project was re-tendered in 2019 and awarded to APCO Infratech, the lowest bidder, in January 2020.