Srinagar, Jan 08, 2025, IANS

Srinagar, Jan 8 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on January 13 to inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg road to make Sonamarg an all-weather tourist destination. Official sources said that the PM will arrive here on January 13 to physically inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel that will bypass the road from Gagangir to Sonamarg allowing visitors and locals to visit the hill station throughout the year. At present, the Gagangir-Sonamarg stretch of the road gets blocked by heavy snowfall and avalanches that hit the area every year. The Z-Morh Tunnel is a 6.5 km long 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is named after the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunnel has replaced (Z-Morh translates to "Z-turn" in English). The road used before was avalanche-prone and often got blocked for several months, but the Z-Morh tunnel provides all-weather connectivity to the Sonamarg tourist town. It takes only 15 minutes to travel the 6.5 km long tunnel compared to hours over the zig-zag road up and down the hills. Together with the adjacent Zoji-La Tunnel, this geostrategically important tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh Highway will provide year-round weather-proof connectivity to Baltal (Amarnath cave), Kargil and other places in the Ladakh region. It will also enhance military logistics and boost tourism and the economy. In addition to providing all-weather connectivity to Sonamarg, the tunnel will help the employment of local youth and boost tourism and allied activities in the area. It is one of the 31 road tunnels, 20 in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh. The construction of the tunnel was started in 2018. The tunnel workers came under terror attack on October 20, 2024, when two terrorists entered the workers' camp at Gagangir and fired indiscriminately. Seven civilians, including six non-local workers of the infrastructure company building the Z-Morh tunnel, were killed. A local doctor was also killed in the attack.