Rs 5,000-crore Mughal Road tunnel set to improve Shopian's connectivity

Shopian, April 21

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s announcement that a tunnel would be built at Peer Ki Gali on Mughal Road has brought cheer to the residents of Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian.

Talking to reporters earlier this month, Gadkari had shared the details of the Rs 5,000-crore project to make Mughal Road an all-weather road connecting Poonch and Rajouri districts in the Jammu region to Shopian in the Kashmir valley.

Shopian’s residents feel the project would open up employment avenues for youngsters.

“We are elated about the upcoming Mughal Road tunnel. Its construction will open up job opportunities for the educated yet unemployed youngsters of Shopian, Poonch and Rajouri districts,” Aijaz Ahmad, a resident of Heerpora in Shopian, said.

Despite Shopian being located at a distance of only around 85 km from Bafliaz in Poonch, commuters have to travel more than 450 km when the stretch of road connecting the two places is closed for almost six months during heavy snowfall at Peer ki Gali.

Shopian and the twin border districts of Poonch-Rajouri have historical ties that have withstood the test of time. People of the two regions are also connected through marriages and business.

“We hope the Mughal Road tunnel construction starts soon. It will provide a huge relief to the people here,” Bashir Ahmad Parwana, another Shopian resident, said.

Meanwhile, demands have grown louder for opening Mughal Road around the Eid-ul-Fitr.