PM Modi Inaugurates Sonamarg Tunnel: Travel Kashmir to Ladakh in Minutes

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially inaugurated the strategically significant Z-Morh tunnel on Monday, which will enable year-round access to the popular tourist destination in the Sonamarg region of Jammu and Kashmir. 

The prime minister visited the tunnel and spoke with project executives after launching the Rs 2,700 crore project. He also got to know the construction crew that painstakingly finished the tunnel in spite of difficult circumstances.

Z-Morh Tunnel Inaugurated

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha of Jammu & Kashmir, and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also attended the ceremony.

Following last year's assembly elections in September and October, this is his first trip to Jammu and Kashmir.

Key Features of Z-Morh Tunnel

A 6.5 km two-lane road tunnel connecting Gagangir and Sonamarg in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district includes a 7.5-metre-wide parallel passage for emergencies.

The tunnel, which is more than 8,650 feet above sea level, would improve all-weather connection between Srinagar and Sonamarg on the way to Leh by avoiding avalanche and landslide-prone roads. Additionally, the tunnel will boost tourism by providing year-round access to Sonamarg.

Kashmir to Ladakh in Minutes

Together with the Zojila tunnel, which is expected to be finished by 2028, the Z-Morh tunnel will increase vehicle speed from 30 km/h to 70 km/h and shorten the distance between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh from 49 km to 43 km.

Additionally, the improved connectivity will promote economic growth, defense logistics, and sociocultural integration throughout Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir. 

Z-Morh Tunnel Completed in 10 Years

The Z-Morh tunnel project was supposed to be finished by 2016–17, the construction started in May 2015. 

However, it was finished in nearly ten years because the original concessionaire for the project's execution, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), halted work in 2018 because of financial difficulties. The lowest bidder, APCO Infratech, won the project in January 2020 after it was re-tendered in 2019.

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