Elaborate security arrangements have been made with deployment of paramilitary forces for the inauguration of the strategic Z-Morh Tunnel by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the festival of Lohri (13 January).
Officers of the SPG have reportedly surveyed the area and the Kargil-Srinagar highway has been shut till Monday as a precautionary measure.
Army and CRPF personnel were dominating the snow-covered heights around the tunnel.
The militarily strategic tunnel has remained on the radar of terrorists who attacked the labour camp in October last killing seven persons.
In a major boost to road connectivity to the Union Territory of Ladakh that remains suspended due to snow during the winters from both Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the tunnel to provide uninterrupted road transport also to the defence forces that are deployed on the borders with China and Pakistan.
The tunnel will reduce the travel time between Srinagar and Leh and also benefit tourism and trade in the region.
Modi is also later in January slated to inaugurate the historic rail link of Kashmir valley with rest of the country thereby fulfilling the 123 years old dream of the Dogra ruler Pratap Singh who had got the rail route surveyed in 1902 but was unable to implement it due to financial constraints.
The 6.5-kilometere-long tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh highway in Gagangir area of Ganderbal district has been built at a cost of Rs 24 billion. The tunnel is named after the ‘Z-shaped’ stretch of road it replaces, drastically reducing travel time to just 15 minutes compared to hours along the previous route.
Another tunnel through the nearby Zojila Pass at a height of 11,575 ft is under construction and once completed, these two tunnels will be a game changer for the Ladakh region as these will provide round the year road connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh. These tunnels will not only play a crucial role for economic development but will also ensure faster movement of defence forces and their equipment.
The Z-Morh tunnel at a height of 8652 ft will bypass the avalanche-prone areas on the road leading to the tourism hotspot of Sonamarg and make the place accessible even during snow.
Work on the tunnel was started by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in 2012. However, it was later taken over by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL).