• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategically important Z-Morh tunnel in the Sonamarg area of Jammu & Kashmir on January 13. It 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. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, Jammu & Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah were also present at the inauguration.

Highlights of the tunnel:

• 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 & Kashmir, and Ladakh.

• The foundation stone of the Rs 2,716.90 crore project was laid in October 2012 by the then Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways C.P. Joshi.

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

• The soft opening of the tunnel was done in February 2024.

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