PM Modi Inaugurates Z-Morh Tunnel: Sonamarg Now Accessible Year-Round

PM Modi Inaugurates Z-Morh Tunnel: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, January 13, inaugurated the Z-Morh tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal district making the Sonamarg tourist resort accessible year-round.

The Prime Minister landed at Srinagar airport around 10.45 am and proceeded to Sonamarg for the inauguration of the strategic tunnel, which is also important from a defence perspective, officials said.

Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari arrived in Srinagar for the event, on Sunday.

Modi was also joined for the inauguration ceremony by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

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The 6.4-km-long bi-directional tunnel connects Sonamarg health resort with Kangan town in the Ganderbal district. Its name, Z-Morh, is derived from the Z-shaped road stretch, which was earlier at the spot where the tunnel has now been opened.

The strategically important tunnel will now provide all-weather connectivity to the famous tourist resort of Sonamarg and help connect Kashmir and Ladakh throughout the year.

Located at an altitude of more than 8,650 feet above sea level, the Z-Morh tunnel will significantly improve year-round connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg, facilitating the route to Leh while bypassing the landslide-prone and avalanche-affected areas.

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Modi, who is on his first visit to J-K post the conduct of the Assembly elections in September-October last year, is scheduled to meet the construction workers who have worked meticulously amid harsh conditions in an acknowledgement of their contribution to this engineering feat.

The work on this project began in 2012 by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). Later, it handed over the construction of the infrastructure project to Tunnelway Ltd. Thereafter, it was taken over by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

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