Zojila, Z-Morh tunnels will boost adventure tourism: ATOAK
Kashmir-based Adventure Tour Operators Association or ATOAK has welcomed the union government decision to speed up the process for constructing Zojila tunnel on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway.
President ATOAK Rauf Tramboo said the project is already too late. “The tunnel should have been there in mid 80s or even much earlier when adventure tourism started booming in the world and was all time high in Kashmir.”“Sind Valley including Sonamarg is a prime attraction for round the year adventure related activities but due to non availability of road connectivity in winters this place lost its value viz a viz adventure tourism,” he said.
Tramboo said the two tunnels (Zojila and Z-Morh) hold importance for not only the tourism but also for the socio-economic upliftment of the people living around.
“These tunnels will also benefit the people living in far flung areas of Kargil, Zanaskar and Leh regions of Ladakh as these tunnels will provide the much-needed round the year all weather connectivity between Kashmir valley and Ladakh, which otherwise remains cut-off during winters due to heavy snowfall on Zojila Pass.
“The 15 Km long tunnel in the high altitude mountainous area of Kashmir will be itself a tourist attraction as many tourists will visit the area to drive through the longest tunnel of South-East Asia,” he said.
‘Adventure tour operators,” he said, “are optimistic to raise the numbers of adventure related tourists for both Kashmir and Ladakh regions once both the tunnels are opened for the traffic.
However, he said the seven year time stipulated for construction of Zojila tunnel “is a long duration. Efforts should be made to complete this tunnel much earlier.”
To mention, IRB Infrastructure Developers recently bagged Rs 10,050 crore Zojilla tunnel project on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway.
The company received a Letter of Award (LoA) from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for the construction, operation and maintenance of this tunnel, which will be the longest tunnel in South-East Asia.
The project involves construction of tunnel spanning a length of 14.08 km and an approach road of 10.8 Km with three vertical ventilation shafts, snow gallery of 700 meters and avalanche protection measures.
Work is already in progress on another tunnel near Z-Morh, 20 kms away from Zojilla pass, on Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway.
Coming up at a cost of Rs 2,716.90 crore, the Z-Morh tunnel is expected to be completed by 2017. The 6.5 km long tunnel will connect Gagangeer directly with Sonamarg.
