Peerpanjal Tunnel In JK: PM Modi Will Inaugurate In March

Peerpanjal Tunnel in JK: Kashmir’s lifeline will not be cut by snowfall and landslide, Modi will inaugurate the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel in March.

Kashmir’s lifeline will no longer be able to disrupt the Jammu-Srinagar highway, with frequent snowfall and landslides.

The Banihal-Qazigund tunnel under construction on Jammu-Srinagar highway, just below the Banihal Pass in Pirpanjal, is almost complete.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Road and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will probably dedicate it to the nation at the end of March. At the moment, a date is being set for the tunnel’s opening.

This eight and a half kilometer long tunnel will ensure an evergreen road connectivity to the Kashmir Valley. At present, one has to cross the Jawahar Tunnel to reach by road in Kashmir.

This tunnel will be an alternative to the Jawahar tunnel. Although landslides and snowfall occur at many places on this highway, the biggest obstacle will be overcome with the opening of the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel.

About 290 km long Jammu-Srinagar highway is the main road connecting Kashmir to Jammu and other parts of the country. All types of logistic supplies to Kashmir are supplied by this route.

Hence the need for a Banihal-Qazigund tunnel: The existing Jawahar tunnel was opened in the year 1956 for the movement of vehicles.

Its capacity is limited to the movement of 150 vehicles per day, while about eight thousand vehicles are passing through it daily. It was not meant for heavy and large vehicles, whereas now heavy and big trolleys are passing through it.

The seven-seven-kilometer area on either side of the Jawahar Tunnel is considered extremely sensitive from the point of view of avalanches and landslides.

Many times people have died here due to snowfall and avalanches. On the snow, the road on both sides of this Jawahar tunnel is closed for the movement of common vehicles.

Peerpanjal Tunnel in JK:  The duration of this tunnel has also been completed. The construction of the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel was started only to ensure the ever-increasing vehicular pressure and an evergreen road connectivity to Kashmir.

The distance of one hour will be completed in 15 minutes: There is a distance of about 35 kilometers between Banihal in the Jammu division and Qazigund in Kashmir via the Jawahar tunnel.

It takes about an hour for the vehicles to cover this distance under normal conditions. With the opening of the Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, this distance will be 16 kilometers.

Vehicles will be able to reach Qazigund from Banihal in 15 minutes. With this, the journey between Jammu and Srinagar will also be reduced to about 271 km.

Peerpanjal Tunnel in JK: Land acquisition, law and order, and weather challenge in Kashmir: Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is about 1790 meters above sea level, which is about 400 meters below Jawahar tunnel.

The Jawahar Tunnel is located at an altitude of about 2190 meters above sea level. The Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is parallel to the Banihal-Qazigund rail tunnel.

The construction of a Banihal-Qazigund tunnel, one of the longest tunnels in the country, was started in 2011 along with the Nashri tunnel built between Chinaini and Ramban on the Jammu-Srinagar highway.

The project, estimated to cost Rs 2100 crore, was also scheduled to be completed in June 2016, but the land acquisition and recurring law and order situation in Kashmir also hampered its work.

The 9.2-km Nashri tunnel was dedicated to the public by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016.

Feature of the tunnel: Banihal-Qazigund tunnel is four lanes. It also has two tubes like the Jawahar Tunnel. One for the departure of vehicles and the other for arrival.

Heavy and large vehicles will also be able to pass easily within the tunnel. If one tube has to be closed for military needs, the second tube will allow the movement of two-sided vehicles simultaneously.

After every 500 meters inside the tunnel, safe passage corridors have been made to move from one tube to another tube, which can be used in an emergency situation.

234 CCTVs have been installed within the tunnel for surveillance. 126 jet fans have been installed within the tunnel to maintain fresh air and vent the smoke of vehicles.

All the lights have been arranged within the tunnel and fire engines will be deployed at both mouths for 24 hours. There is snowfall near this tunnel too, but there is no danger of avalanche-like the Jawahar tunnel.