With the opening up of the 6.4 km long Z-Morh tunnel, scheduled to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13, India is inching closer to fulfilling its dream of constructing the strategic corridor between Srinagar-Leh to provide all-weather connectivity and maintain defence and civil supply lines in adverse weather conditions.
After dedicating the first leg of the corridor to the Nation on Monday the focus will be shifted to the timely completion of the 13.15 km long Zojila Tunnel.
The Z-Morh tunnel will link Kangan with Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination on the Srinagar-Leh highway.
The Zojila tunnel will provide year-round connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, which will be extremely important for the development of Ladakh, the promotion of tourism, the free movement of local goods, and the movement of Indian armed forces in case of emergency.
Currently the average travel time to cross the Zojila Pass is three hours. After the completion of this tunnel, the travel time will come down to 20 minutes, resulting in fuel savings.
The total Project cost of the Zojila tunnel is Rs. 6,809.69 crore. The tentative deadline for the completion of the project at an altitude of over 11,000 feet is September-December 2026.
To welcome the dignitaries visiting the venue of the Z-Morh tunnel project the Union Territory administration is making elaborate arrangements. The security personnel have been deployed in large numbers to secure the venue.
A team of SPG, looking after the security details of the Prime Minister, are already camping in the area and conducting mock drills to secure the venue.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Saturday visited Sonmarg to review preparations for the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.
In a post on XOmar said, “The inauguration of the Z-Morh tunnel will open up the region to Winter tourism. I believe Sonmarg will be developed as one of the best Ski resorts in the region. The tunnel will also reduce travel time between Srinagar/ Kargil-Leh”.
According to official sources, a sum of Rs 2700 crores has been spent on the construction of the Z-Morh tunnel.
The 6.4 km long tunnel got its name from the Z-shaped road stretch near the construction site.
In October 2024, a group of heavily armed terrorists targeted construction workers near Gagangir, the Z-Morh tunnel project site, killing a total number of seven employees including a local doctor.
Later, the Union Territory administration ordered an immediate security audit of the major infrastructure projects in the region and also beefed up the security to prevent selective targeting of the construction workers to stall the projects and delay their construction.
