Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Z-Morh (Sonmarg) tunnel on Monday, enhancing year-round connectivity to high-altitude border areas near China and Pakistan.
Spanning 6.4 kilometers (4 miles) under a mountain pass often cut off by snow for up to six months annually, the $313 million project in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) facilitates access to Ladakh. The tunnel serves as a crucial link in the Srinagar-Leh Highway, enabling the swift movement of military supplies and boosting regional connectivity.
“This tunnel will greatly improve connectivity,” Modi said at the inauguration, bundled up against the frigid temperatures. The tunnel is part of India’s broader infrastructure strategy to strengthen border areas.
India and China, whose shared 3,500-kilometer (2,200-mile) border remains a point of contention, have experienced tensions for decades. The two nations recently agreed on patrol arrangements in disputed regions, followed by a rare formal meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in October.
Another critical project on the same route, the 13-kilometer (8-mile) Zojila tunnel, is over halfway complete and expected to open by 2026, according to India’s information ministry.
The Z-Morh tunnel has not been without challenges. In October, gunmen attacked the construction site, killing seven workers, underscoring ongoing unrest in the region.
Kashmir, a Muslim-majority territory, has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both countries claiming the region in full.
