Peer Ki Gali tunnel set to unlock trade potential across Pir Panjal

Shopian, Jun 24: The Central government’s approval of a tunnel at Peer Ki Gali along the heritage Mughal Road is expected to give a boost to the local economy and tourism in south Kashmir’s Shopian district besides enhancing movement of people.  The tunnel is part of a 19 road and tunnel projects worth  Rs 10,637 crore  approved by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways on Monday. “It has been a long-standing demand of the people. For years, we kept hearing that the project was under consideration, but nothing moved on the ground. This approval finally gives us hope that the promise will turn into reality,” said Mitha Gatoo, a prominent social activist from Shopian.

The 84 km long sinuous road, which connects the southern district Shopian with Rajouri and Poonch in Jammu division remains shut for nearly six months due to heavy accumulation of snow at high altitude Peer Ki Gali.  Although plans to upgrade the road and build the tunnel were set in motion back in 2019, the project remained stuck in limbo for years due to administrative red tape and repeated changes in the agencies involved.

The final approval of the tunnel, which is  being constructed at a cost of Rs 3830 crore ,will benefit trans-Pir Panjal communities by converting the arterial fair-weather road into all-weather road. “The tunnel will provide a year-round alternative to the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway, which frequently remains closed due to landslides,” said Gatoo.  He said that the tunnel would also boost economic  and tourism activity in the area by facilitating greater movement of people and goods along the route. “Hundreds of students from Kashmir are enrolled at Baba Ghulam Shah Badshah University in Rajouri. During road closures, they are forced to take the longer route via the Jammu–Srinagar National Highway. The construction of the tunnel will significantly reduce their travel time,” Gatoo said.

For apple cultivators and traders, the approval of the tunnel project comes as a major relief. It is expected to provide a reliable alternative route for transporting fruit to markets outside Jammu and Kashmir, reducing delays, post-harvest losses, and dependence on the often-blocked national highway. “ It will help timely transportation of fruit, particularly the drupes with short shelf life”, said Mohammad Asharf Waini, president Fruit Mandi Shopian.  He extended his gratitude to Minister of Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari .