J&K : Z-Morh tunnel will boost tourism, say locals

Residents in Ganderbal district who live on either side of the 65kilometre ZMorh tunnel on the SrinagarSonamarg highway are confident that the megainfrastructure project will strengthen the local economy and help eliminate unemployment in the area PTI reportedIt is a good thing that the ZMorh 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 said Mohammad Yousuf Shera a local shopkeeperShera believes the yearround connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg will increase the destinations 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 PTI citedShera emphasised the tunnels strategic importance claiming it will also serve the armed forcesThere 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 addedThe ZMorh tunnel has shortened travel time between Srinagar and Sonamarg allowing vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 70 kmh instead of the previous 30 kmh on the curving roadways The tunnel has the capacity to handle 1000 vehicles per hour PTI reportedThe project will be inaugurated by PM Modi on Monday his first visit to the union territory since the assembly pollsAs per PTI Shabir Ahmad a local said the tunnel provides yearround access to SonamargWe 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 saidPeople in this area are poor but this tunnel will provide yearround livelihood opportunities now he addedFayaz Ahmad Sheikh a tourist guide echoed the view stating that the tunnels inauguration will assist alleviate the areas unemployment problemHe stated that he has been working as a tourist guide here for some years However the tourist season was limited to six months due to snowfallrelated road closuresSheikh stated that the tunnel will attract tourists all year giving improved facilities and increased economic opportunities for communities PTI citedA group of Nagpur visitors who managed to visit Gagangir on Saturday praised the project calling it a remarkable initiativeWe 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 saidA lot of people are already visiting Kashmir but we will recommend all our friends and family to visit this place at least once they addedConstruction of the ZMorh tunnel began in May 2015 It took nearly a decade to complete the work because Infrastructure Leasing amp Financial Services ILampFS the primary concessionaire for the project discontinued working in 2018 owing to financial difficulties PTI reportedThe project was reannounced in 2019 and awarded to APCO Infratech in January 2020 after it emerged as the low bidderIn October 2012 C P Joshi then Minister for Surface Transport during the UPA II government laid the groundwork for the Rs 271690 crore project in the presence of his cabinet colleague Farooq Abdullah then Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi PTI reportedThe tunnel was originally scheduled to be completed by 20162017With PTI inputs