Srinagar, Jan 13 The Sonamarg tunnel, dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, is an economic game changer whose short-term and long-term benefits cannot be overstated.
Built at 8,562 feet above sea level in the Gagangir area of J&K’s Ganderbal district, the 6.4 km long double-lane tunnel was completed at a whooping cost of Rs 2,700 crore.
The tunnel bypasses the Gagangir-Sonamarg stretch of the Srinagar-Sonamarg road, which is prone to avalanches and heavy snowfall during the winter months, making the tourist resort of Sonamarg unavailable to visitors and locals. In fact, the residents of Sonamarg and Neelgrad villages would migrate before winter to lower heights in the Ganderbal district as the villages remained inaccessible during winter. These hardy souls will not have to abandon their homes now.
Thanks to the Sonamarg tunnel, after Gulmarg, this tourist destination can become a world-famous ski resort given its lofty slopes and high snowclad pastures.
The Sonamarg tunnel will open new avenues of employment for the local youth, and give year-round work to pony wallahs, sledge operators, and tour and travel operators, in addition to boosting the local economy through trade and tourism.
The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) oversaw the Z-Morh tunnel constructed by APCO Infratech Private Ltd.
Once the Zojila tunnel across the Zojila Pass is completed, it will make all-weather access from Sonamarg to Dras in the Kargil district possible.
National Highway-1 connects Kashmir with Ladakh and lies south of the Line of Control (LOC).
The highway was under attack during the 1999 Kargil conflict and has strategic significance in connecting two northern regions of India - Kashmir and Ladakh.
The Zojila tunnel will start from Baltal in the Ganderbal district to Minimarg in Dras and will have an approach road of 18 km. It is expected to be completed by 2028.
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