Ganderbal residents hope Z-Morh tunnel will boost tourism

Sonamarg, Jan 12: Residents of Ganderbal district, living on either side of the 6.5 kilometre Z-Morh tunnel on Srinagar-Sonamarg highway, are hopeful that the mega-infrastructure project will boost the local economy and help eradicate unemployment in the area.

"It is a good thing that the Z-Morh tunnel will open soon, immensely benefitting the locals. Sonamarg is breathtaking in winter, but the road closure, prevented visitors. We are grateful to the government for this tunnel," a local shopkeeper, Mohammad Yousuf Shera, said.

Shera believes the year-round connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg will elevate the destination's global appeal. "Sonamarg will now be famous not only in the country but around the world. I think foreigners will like this place," he said.

Highlighting the strategic importance, Shera said the tunnel will also benefit armed forces.

"There should be facilities for the soldiers who to defend the country at the borders. The tunnel would facilitate the soldiers in terms of better connectivity," he added.

The Z-Morh tunnel has reduced travel time between Srinagar and Sonamarg allowing vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 70 kilometer per hour compared to the earlier 30 kilometer per hour on the winding roads. The tunnel has a capacity of handling 1000 vehicles per hour.

The project will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, his first visit to the union territory after the assembly polls.

A local, Shabir Ahmad, said the tunnel ensures year-round accessibility to Sonamarg.

"We are happy that now tourists can come to Sonamarg throughout the year. Earlier the region remained cut off for four months due to snow. Now, not just Sonamarg but areas like Drass and Kargil will remain connected," he said.

"People in this area are poor but this tunnel will provide year-round livelihood opportunities now," he added.

Echoing the sentiment, a tourist guide Fayaz Ahmad Sheikh said the opening of the tunnel will help in addressing the problem of unemployment in the area.

He said that he has been working as a tourist guide here for the past several years. However, the tourist season was limited to only six months due to road closures caused by snowfall.

Sheikh said the tunnel will bring tourists all year, providing better facilities and more income opportunities for locals.

A group of tourists from Nagpur, who had managed to visit Gagangir on Saturday, lauded the project calling it a great move.

"We are amazed to see that such a beautiful place is in India itself. We have been able to reach here because of this tunnel, otherwise we would have missed this beautiful view," they said.

"A lot of people are already visiting Kashmir but we will recommend all our friends and family to visit this place at least once," they added.

The work on the Z-Morh tunnel began in May 2015. It took almost a decade to complete the works as the Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS), the initial concessionaire for executing the project, stopped work in 2018 due to financial stress.

The project was retendered in 2019 and awarded to APCO Infratech in January 2020, which had emerged as the lowest bidder.

The foundation stone for the Rs 2,716.90 crore project was laid in October 2012 by C P Joshi, then Minister for Surface Transport during the UPA II government, in the presence of his then cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah, then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi.

The tunnel was initially expected to be completed by 2016-2017.