Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategically important Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir today. A project that will connect Gagangir to Sonamarg, giving all-weather access to the region to the Kashmir valley.
The Z-Morh, also known as the Sonamarg Tunnel, spans 6.5 km, with 6.05 km of additional roads. It is located at an altitude of 8,562 feet. The road from Gagangir to Sonamarg is infamous for being avalanche-prone and unsafe during winters, making access to Sonamarg difficult from Srinagar.
What Makes Z-Morh Tunnel Important For India
Strategic and economic significance make the Z-Morh tunnel crucial for India.
The tunnel is expected to boost the economy of the region, making it another ski resort in Jammu and Kashmir after Gulmarg, which lay west of Srinagar. Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the development of the Sonamarg resort in the Ganderbal district as a winter sports destination similar to Gulmarg.
The access to Sonamarg will allow people to reach Ladakh without staying overnight in Kargil. The road from Sonamarg - the National Highway-1 - goes to Baltal, a base camp for the Amarnath Yatra, then moves northwest to Matayen, Dras, Kaksar and Kargil in Ladakh.
Once the construction of the Zojila tunnel, which lies east of Z-Morh, is complete, an all-weather access from Sonmarg to Dras will be possible. National Highway-1 connects Kashmir to Ladakh and lies south of the Line of Control (LOC). The highway was under attack during the 1999 Kargil Conflict and has strategic significance in connecting two northern regions of India - Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Zojila tunnel will start from Baltal in the Ganderbal district of Kashmir to Minimarg in Dras and has an approach road of 18 km. It is expected to reach near completion by 2028.
The Z-Morh tunnel and Zojila Tunnel will together provide the Indian Army an all-weather capability to reach northern areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, for increased vigilance along the Line of Control and the Line of Actual Control further east.
Photo Credit: PTI
In October, six construction workers, who were part of a private company involved in the building of the tunnel, were killed in a terror attack. A doctor was also killed in the attack in the Ganderbal district.
The victims were identified as Dr Shahnawaz, a resident of Nayidgam Kashmir's Budgam, Gurmeet Singh from Punjab's Gurdaspur, Mohammad Haneef, Faheem Nasir, a safety manager, and Kaleem, from Bihar, Anil Kumar Shukla, a mechanical manager from Madhya Pradesh, and Shashi Abrol, a designer from Jammu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tribute to the seven people who were killed in the attack near the tunnel.
The Z-Morh tunnel is a two-lane, bi-directional road structure with a width of 10 metres. A parallel escape tunnel, 7.5 metres wide, is included for emergencies and dual use as a railway tunnel. The tunnel can handle up to 1,000 vehicles per hour, at a maximum speed of 80 km/hr.
The Z-Morh Tunnel is one of 31 tunnels - 20 in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh - being constructed at a combined investment of Rs 2,680 crore.
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