PM Modi likely to inaugurate ambitious Banihal-Qazigund tunnel in J&K

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to inaugurate the ambitious double-tube Banihal-Qazigund tunnel along the 270-km Jammu-Srinagar national highway, physically or virtually soon.

Sources said the date of inauguration of the tunnel, built at a cost of Rs 2,100 crore, by the Prime Minister is likely to be finalised next week. “However, keeping to the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic in consideration, a decision is yet to be taken whether Modi will inaugurate the tunnel physically or virtually,” they said.

If the physical visit of Modi comes to pass, it will be his first tour of Jammu and Kashmir post-abrogation of special status of the erstwhile state and its bifurcation into two union territories. However, in case the Prime Minister is not available, Union Minister for Road Transport and National Highways, Nitin Gadkari may inaugurate the tunnel, sources added.

The work on the 8.5-km-long tunnel started in June 2011 and, on completion, it would reduce the road distance between Banihal in Jammu and Qazigund in south Kashmir by 16 km. The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to thousands of commuters, who travel on the highway daily.

It will bypass Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitan Nalla, which is prone to heavy snowfall and slippery conditions during winters and results in a bottleneck in the strategically important road linking Kashmir to the rest of the country.

On Wednesday a trial run of vehicular traffic through the double tube four lane tunnel was carried out for two hours. A senior traffic police official said as per the plan, one hundred vehicles were allowed to use the tunnel from Banihal towards Qazigund.

The tunnel has been made on Build, Operate, and Transfer (BOT) basis. Some of the equipment highlights used inside the tunnel includes 124 jet fans, 234 CCTV modern cameras, and a firefighting system.