Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the Z-Mod tunnel connecting Srinagar to Sonamarg. This tunnel will connect the 6.5 km double lane tunnel built on Srinagar-Leh Highway NH-1 to Sonamarg. Due to snowfall, the highway remains closed for 6 months, but with the help of this tunnel, connectivity will be available in every season.
1 hour journey will be completed in 15 minutes
Earlier, it used to take more than 1 hour between Gagangir and Sonamarg on Srinagar-Leh Highway. Due to this tunnel, now this distance can be covered in 15 minutes. Apart from this, the speed of vehicles will also increase from 30 km/h to 70 km/h. Earlier it used to take 3 to 4 hours to cross this inaccessible hilly area. Now this distance will be covered in just 45 minutes.
Tourism will get a boost
Apart from tourism, this project is also important for the security of the country. This will make the army's access to Ladakh easier. That is, the goods that the army had to carry in Air Force planes during snowfall, can now be transported by road at a lower cost. The Z-Mod tunnel has been built at a cost of Rs 2700 crore.
The tunnel began to be built in 2018
Its construction began in 2018. The tunnel is part of the 434 km long Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway project. Under this project, 31 tunnels are being built, out of which 20 are in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh.