All-weather Sonamarg tunnel | J&K is crown of country, needs to be prosperous: PM opens new gateway

The public rally following the inauguration of the tunnel saw striking bonhomie between PM Modi and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Monday. At the same time, to Abdullah’s prodding on the awaited return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, Modi refrained from giving a timeframe, saying “the right thing will happen at the right time”.

“This is Modi. If he makes some promises, he fulfills them… Everything has a time, the right things will happen at the right time,” Modi said, apparently in response to Abdullah’s reference to statehood in his welcome address.

In his speech, the CM said: “The people are asking me when will Jammu and Kashmir get the status of a state… You (Modi) fulfilled your promise of elections in just four months. My heart is saying that very soon the Prime Minister will fulfill his promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir as well and Jammu and Kashmir will be a state again.”

#WATCH | Jammu & Kashmir: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates the Z-Morh tunnel in Sonamarg today.

CM Omar Abdullah and LG Manoj Sinha, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari are also present.

(Source: DD/ANI)#KashmirOnTheRise pic.twitter.com/GF7rwZaVn1

This was Modi’s first visit to the Valley after the formation of the Abdullah-led National Conference government in October last year, in the first Assembly elections held following the abrogation of Article 370.

Abdullah also praised Modi for keeping his promise to “reduce the distance between dil (heart) and Dilli (Delhi)”.

The PM, who inspected the Sonamarg tunnel and interacted with the workers, accompanied by Abdullah, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari, also stressed on this. It was time for “all of us to realise our dreams, and make resolutions and accomplishments together”, he said, adding: “I want to say that the distance (between Delhi and the Valley) has been erased… Modi will walk in step with you and remove every hurdle that comes in the path of your dreams… This tunnel will give new wings to tourism in this area, including Sonamarg… This has fulfilled the long-pending demand of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.”

The project was originally started by the Border Roads Organisation in 2012. While the BRO awarded the construction contract to Tunnelway Ltd, the project was later taken over by the NHIDCL.(OmarAbdullah/X)

Abdullah was the first to address the well-attended gathering, and the PM could be seen enthusiastically clapping to his speech. The two also shook hands before the CM returned to his seat close to Modi.

Apart from commending the PM for holding the elections and for the infrastructural efforts, Abdullah said the Centre had helped bring peace to J&K borders and said far-flung areas like Machil, Gurez, Karnah and Keran along the Line of Control have gained from development and tourism.

Modi also repeatedly referred to the CM in his nearly half-an-hour-long speech and said he had been keenly anticipating his visit to Sonamarg after Abdullah shared a video and pictures of the Z-Morh tunnel on his social media account on the eve of its inauguration.

He mentioned Abdullah’s participation in the first-ever international marathon held in October last year and said the video of it had gone viral. “I congratulated him when he met me in Delhi. He was full of enthusiasm.”

Claiming a link to the region, the PM said: “I remember spending time as an ordinary worker of the BJP in Sonamarg, Gulmarg, Ganderbal and Baramulla… I walked for hours together in the snow but was always warmly welcomed by the people, who never allowed me to feel cold.”

Thanking the people of J&K of supporting him in his endeavour, he added: “The dream of Viksit Bharat can be fulfilled only when its crown is decorated with jewels. J&K is the crown of India and I want this crown to be made more beautiful and prosperous.”

In October, militants had struck at the camping site of the tunnel workers and opened indiscriminate fire, killing seven of them. Modi, Abdullah and Sinha paid tributes to the slain workers Monday. Starting his speech by naming the seven workers, the CM said: “If I started without them, it would be an injustice… These seven workers sacrificed their lives for this project, for the development of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Constructed near Gagangir village near Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination on the Srinagar-Leh highway, it will provide all-weather connectivity to it and Ladakh, which is important for strategic and military reasons. (OmarAbdullah/X)

Calling infrastructure development imperative to achieve Viksit Bharat, Gadkari said: “The Prime Minister has given us a mission of developed and prosperous India. If we have to achieve (it), we have to improve the country’s infrastructure… Until water, power, transport, and communication do not develop, industry, business, and tourism will not get a boost.”

In his speech, Lt Governor Sinha said the tunnel marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of J&K. “I can say that the Prime Minister has lifted Jammu and Kashmir out of the darkness of despair and set it on the path to a bright future. From the swamp of hopelessness, he has led the region toward a new journey of shining development,” Sinha said.

Built by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the Sonamarg tunnel connects Sonamarg, a famous tourist destination, with Kangan town in Central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

The tunnel is situated at an altitude of more than 8,500 feet. The area is prone to snow avalanches in the winter, which cut off the Sonamarg road for most of the season.

The project was originally started by the Border Roads Organisation in 2012, with the first deadline being August 2023. After delays, the soft-opening of the tunnel was carried out in February last year, but Assembly elections delayed the project’s official inauguration.