PM Modi to inaugurate Z-Morh tunnel in Kashmir on January 13

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Jammu and Kashmir on January 13 to inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel on the Srinagar-Sonamarg road, aiming to make Sonamarg an all-weather tourist destination.

Official sources said that the PM will arrive on January 13 to physically inaugurate the Z-Morh tunnel, which will bypass the road from Gagangir to Sonamarg, allowing visitors and locals to access the hill station throughout the year.

Currently, the Gagangir-Sonamarg stretch of the road is often blocked by heavy snowfall and avalanches every year.

The Z-Morh Tunnel is a 6.5 km long, 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. It is named after the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunnel has replaced (Z-Morh translates to “Z-turn” in English).

Previously, the road was prone to avalanches and often blocked for several months, but the Z-Morh tunnel now offers all-weather connectivity to the Sonamarg tourist town. It takes only 15 minutes to travel through the 6.5 km tunnel, compared to hours over the winding road up and down the hills.

Together with the adjacent Zoji-La Tunnel, this strategically important tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh Highway will provide year-round, weather-proof connectivity to Baltal (Amarnath cave), Kargil, and other places in the Ladakh region.

The tunnel will also enhance military logistics, boost tourism, and strengthen the economy. In addition to providing all-weather connectivity to Sonamarg, it will help employ local youth and support tourism and allied activities in the area.

It is one of the 31 road tunnels, 20 in Jammu and Kashmir and 11 in Ladakh.

The construction of the tunnel began in 2018.

Tunnel workers came under a terror attack on October 20, 2024, when two terrorists entered the workers’ camp at Gagangir and fired indiscriminately. Seven civilians, including six non-local workers of the infrastructure company building the Z-Morh tunnel, were killed. A local doctor was also killed in the attack.