Modi inaugurates Banihal Qazigund road tunnel; know why it’s unique

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off a slew of developmental projects including the much talked-about Banihal Qazigund road tunnel, during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday (April 24) on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas.

Costing ₹3,100 crore to the government exchequer, the 8.45 km-long tunnel connects Banihal in Jammu province with Qazigund in south Kashmir. It has been strategically constructed to reduce the distance between the two places by 16 km and the time of travel by one and a half hours.

Also read: Centre developing Valley? It’s just an eyewash, says J&K CPM leader

An all-weather transportation route, the tunnel features state-of-the-art twin tubes – one for each direction of travel – and has a cross passage every 500 metres for maintenance and emergency situations.

Located 5,800 feet above sea level, the tunnel will act as a replacement to the Jawahar Tunnel. The Jawahar Tunnel and Shaitani Nalla, the traditional routes between Jammu and south Kashmir are prone to landslides and often get clogged during the winters, causing traffic snarls and inconvenience to travellers.

On the other hand, the new tunnel’s average elevation – 1,790 metres – which is 400 metres lower than that of Jawahar Tunnel makes it less prone to avalanches.

Built reportedly using the Austrian tunneling method, the tunnel has a state-of-the-art exhaust system which would help prevent gas formation in its interiors with the help of 126 jet fans.

For security, 234 CCTV cameras and a firefighting system have been installed in both ways of the tunnel.

Also read: Kashmiri Pandits will be able to return to valley soon: RSS chief

The project delivery mechanism of Build Operate Transfer (BOT) has been implemented to construct the tunnel. Under BOT, private firms involved in large-scale infrastructure projects get concession from the public sector to fund, design, construct, own and operate the concerned facility.

Modi during his visit to Jammu and Kashmir is expected to inaugurate projects worth over ₹20,000 crore. These include the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, the Ratle and Kwar Hydroelectric project and the Kwar Hydroelectric Project.