New Kashmir roadmap

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is inaugurating today the Z-Morh tunnel, a 6.4 km bi-directional tunnel with a 5.6 km approach road that provides all-weather connectivity to Sonamarg and links Kashmir with Ladakh. It is the PM’s first visit to J&K since the UT's elected government assumed office last October. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rushed to the project on Saturday to take stock of the arrangements made for the inauguration ceremony, an effort also acknowledged by the prime minister.

The tunnel near Gagangir in Ganderbal district, is expected to boost winter tourism and holds strategic significance for military access. The tunnel  is situated at over 8,500 feet and addresses frequent snow avalanches that previously blocked the Sonamarg route during winter. While a soft opening was held in February last year, the official inauguration was postponed due to UT Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the Zoji-la Tunnel, connecting Sonamarg to Drass, remains under construction and is slated for completion by December 2026. The long and winding uphill road that remains buried under 10 feet of snow in winter is billed as an ambitious engineering enterprise that involves burrowing deep through 13 kilometres of mountain. The links are of profound strategic and economic significance. They will eventually bring Kashmir and Ladakh together with its economic spin-offs for the people of the two regions. And more importantly it will help rapid mobilisation of troops and armour to a strategically critical region bordered by China and Pakistan.

Over the past some years, Ladakh has been subject to intermittent Chinese intrusions, a sign of Beijing’s growing aggressive regional designs. And once completed, these roads will stitch Kashmir together with concrete and asphalt and connect places and people alienated from each other by geography. They will also increase troop mobility to the sensitive border areas with potential for military confrontation.

Incidentally, the tunnel is being inaugurated almost coincidentally with the flagging off of Srinagar-Delhi train. The train will not only bring Kashmir closer to the rest of the country but will also bring enormous economic benefits to the region. Not just will it boost tourist arrivals, but will also be beneficial for the trade. For once, the Kashmiri businessmen will be able to directly procure and supply goods to the rest of the country, helping them expand their trade.  The Kashmir-Ladakh tunnels and Kashmir-Delhi train are more than just engineering marvels; they symbolise a broader push towards bridging physical and emotional distances, fostering connectivity, and driving economic growth in the region.