Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated a strategically important Z-Morh Tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Monday. It will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg and further to Leh. It will ensure an uninterrupted access to Ladakh region, bypassing landslide and avalanche routes.
This was PM Modi’s first visit to the Union Territory after the Assembly elections held there last year. The tunnel has been built at a cost of Rs 2,700-crore. The PM went into the tunnel and interacted with the project officials. He also met the construction workers.
PM Modi was accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Territory’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Delighted to be amongst the wonderful people of Sonamarg. With the opening of the tunnel here, connectivity will significantly improve and tourism will see a major boost in Jammu and Kashmir. https://t.co/NQnu19ywpi
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 13, 2025
Omar Abdullah thanked PM Modi for coming to Jammu and Kashmir in “intense cold.” He also raised the longstanding demand of granting statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
“We hope that you (PM Modi) will soon fulfil your promise made during the Yoga Day event… Jammu and Kashmir will soon take its place as a state in the country. On this happy occasion, I would like to thank you that you came here in this intense cold and inaugurating this tunnel,” Abdullah said.
The 6.5-kilometre-long tunnel is also known as the Z-Morh Tunnel.
