Srinagar: The much-awaited opening of the strategic Z-Morh tunnel in Kashmir next week by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is aimed at “sending out the message across the borders” that none would be allowed to derail infrastructure projects in the region.
The tunnel’s camp site stormed by militants in October last year, killing seven workers including a local doctor from Budgam is to be opened for the public by the PM on January 13. The first attack on an infrastructure project, according to Police, executed by Lashkar-e-Toiba was aimed at derailing the project which would be a step towards providing all-weather connectivity with Ladakh region.
Several government as well as project officials concede the presence of PM Modi at the tunnel is aimed at sending out a message to the perpetrators of the terror attack.
A senior project official said they would invite families of the slain workers killed at the tunnel site camp for the inauguration event. While not all can come, some are likely to attend the event and may likely meet the Prime Minister. “The process for inviting these families is underway,” the official told ETV Bharat.
Security expert Ajai Sahni, founding member and executive director of the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management and South Asia Terrorism Portal described the Z-Morh tunnel as a significant infrastructure project.
“This fact is borne out by the Prime Minister's decision to inaugurate it personally. Beyond the political projection of this as a personal achievement of the Prime Minister, I don't think this symbolism has any lasting significance,” he added.
Connectivity between Kashmir, Ladakh and the rest of the country, according to Sahni, has been incrementally improved over the decades which he said "has had little impact on the intentions of terrorists or of their sponsors across the border".
Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will participate in the event.
The Special Protection Group (SPG) will take over the tunnel site for smooth opening and security control today, an official said.
This is the second visit of PM Modi after being elected since assuming the office for the third term last year, promising statehood after J&K legislative elections. His first visit to Jammu and Kashmir UT, which got its first elected government last year, has also spurred some speculations on the much-awaited promise for which Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has submitted to him a cabinet resolution as well.
About Z-Morh Tunnel
Sitting at an altitude of 8,500 feet, the strategic tunnel spanning over 6.5 kilometers will take 15 minutes to cross the zig-zag snow avalanche prone stretch on Srinagar-Leh highway in Ganderbal. It is the 'first step' alongside the adjoining under-construction Zoji-La Tunnel towards making coldest Ladakh the all-weather destination. The coldest desert remains closed for winter months with temperatures nosediving to minus 30 on the highest pass Zoji La on the highway.
The tunnel would be significant as it will allow smooth and quicker logistical military support to security forces stationed along the Line of Control as well as Line of Actual Control, where armies India and China clashed in 2020.
Member of Parliament from Ladakh Mohmad Haneefa Jan highlighting the tunnel’s strategic as well as public significance said that the opening underscores that Ladakh region’s connectivity is very much close to PM Modi.
He hoped the Zoji La tunnel, which is under construction, will be completed soon to provide the region connectivity throughout the year.
General Manager National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation VK Pandey said they are readying for the preparations ahead of the PM’s visit.
The project developed by APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway Pvt Ltd achieved COD (Commercial Operation Date) on July 24 last year but has been awaiting public opening since then. The delay was marked by the Model Code of Conduct during the J&K Legislative Assembly polls followed by a terror attack on the tunnel’s site camp in October.
Constructed at Rs 2400 crore, the Z-Morh Tunnel project was awarded on build-operate-transfer (annuity) basis including construction, operation and maintenance of the tunnel.
The developer has been awarded a maintenance period of 15 years from the completion date.
The tunnel has received clearances from all the utilities including Power Development Department for running its operation a month ago, added a senior government official.
The Z-Morh tunnel project, which was first conceived by the Border Roads Organisation in 2012 and later handed over to the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), was to be inaugurated in October last year.
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