Gagangir (Sonamarg), Jan 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday dedicated the Sonamarg tunnel in Kashmir to the nation after inaugurating and inspecting it.

The inauguration event was also attended by Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for Surface Transport and Highways, Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

PM Modi interacted with the engineers and workers, whose hard work made the all-weather connectivity possible. He encouraged and patiently listened to the labourers in addition to gathering technical details about the Rs 2,700 crore tunnel.

The Prime Minister appreciated the hard work put in by everyone engaged in the construction of the tunnel under the most challenging weather and topography of the area.

PM Modi earlier landed in a special aircraft at the technical area of Srinagar International Airport from where he took an Air Force helicopter for Neelgrad in the Sonamarg.

The PM landed at the Neelgrad helipad and drove in a cavalcade to the Gagangir area, where he inaugurated the Sonamarg tunnel.

PM Modi will also address a public rally at the truck yard in Sonamarg. Hundreds of people, braving extreme cold, have already gathered at the Sonamarg public rally venue to listen to the PM. This is PM Modi’s first visit to the union territory after an elected government took office here.

Sonamarg tunnel will bypass the stretch of the Srinagar-Sonamarg highway that is prone to avalanches and heavy snowfall during the winter months.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) oversaw the Z-Morh tunnel constructed by APCO Infratech Private Limited for Rs 2,700 crore. The construction of the tunnel was started in 2018. This tunnel will make Sonamarg an all-weather tourist destination, thereby helping employment for local youth, and boosting trade, tourism, and traffic to the Ladakh region, Amarnath Yatra and businesses.

The tunnel is a 6.5 km long 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangair and Sonamarg in Ganderbal of Jammu and Kashmir. It was earlier called the Z-Morh tunnel because of the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunnel has replaced (Z-Morh translates to “Z-turn” in English). It takes only 15 minutes to travel the 6.5 km long tunnel compared to hours over the zig-zag road up and down the hills.

The Zojila Tunnel being constructed across the Zojila Pass together with the Z-Morh tunnel will make the journey to the Ladakh region safer and possibly throughout the year.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah visited the Gagangir area of Ganderbal district on Saturday. “Visited Sonmarg today to review preparations for PM @narendramodi ji’s visit on Monday. The inauguration of the Z-morh tunnel will open Sonmarg to tourism all year round, Sonmarg will now be developed as a great ski resort. The local population will not have to leave in winter & the travel time to Kargil/Leh from Srinagar will also reduce,” he wrote on X on January 11.

Mumbai, Jan 13: Amid talks of the disintegration of INDIA bloc and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the Shiv Sena(UBT) in its mouthpiece ‘Saamna’ editorial took a dig at the Congress party saying that it should not undermine the regional parties as it alone cannot fight on its own in many states.

“Congress does not have the strength to fight, but it does not stop putting its fingers in the bowl of the regional parties. Its results were seen in a state like Maharashtra. One truth that should be accepted is that the allies who entered the BJP’s “cave” have lost their existence. Congress should not behave with that attitude. Congress is and will remain a national party. There is no reason for anyone to have any doubts about that,” says the editorial.

“The earthworms or frogs formed during the monsoon season are destroyed as soon as the monsoon season ends. We are of the opinion that alliances like ‘INDIA’ formed for elections should not have a short life and should always be dedicated to national service. Congress and AAP may have a face-off in Delhi, but projecting Kejriwal as an anti-national during the poll campaign issue is not in keeping with the Congress culture. If Congress ‘alone’ has the ability to defeat the Modi mentality, no one will stop them. They should definitely do it. Still, winning a state like Maharashtra in a mafia-like manner shows what kind of politics the BJP and its affiliated gangs are winning. To fight this aberration, we need a thunderbolt of unity, leadership of the INIDIA bloc and if possible, a convenor. Otherwise, everything will go to waste. The All India National Congress should think about whether to let that happen,” reads the editorial requesting Congress to take an initiative to further strengthen the opposition alliance.

“There is an INDIA bloc in the country and MVA in Maharashtra but there is a feeling among the people that they are in a mess, who is responsible for it? When these two alliances were formed and started working, enthusiasm was created in every constituent party in the alliance and the public mind as a whole. Indians were confident that a force had been created to fight against the arbitrary administration and corruption imposed on the country. The feeling that Modi could be defeated in the country and the illegal government in Maharashtra started to burn like lightning, but are these two alliances now becoming dull and inactive? This is not good for the country,” reads the editorial.

It further adds, “The tree of INDIA bloc does not seem to be blooming. Omar Abdullah of the National Conference says that the last meeting of this alliance was held on June 1, 2024. After that, the Assembly elections of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, and Jharkhand were held. Congress could not make a big leap in these elections. Congress suffered a major defeat in Haryana and Maharashtra. After that, questions started being asked about the existence of the INDIA bloc. Mamata Banerjee even publicly said that she formed the INDIA Alliance and now if she gets the opportunity, she is ready to lead this alliance. This means that the leadership of the Congress is not acceptable to anyone. Lalu Prasad Yadav also expressed similar views.”

“In various states such as Punjab and Delhi, AAP and Congress are fighting against each other. In Kerala, there is a battle between Congress and the Left. In West Bengal, Congress will continue to fight against Trinamool and there is no alternative. Because every regional party has to maintain its own role, workers and existence, the Congress party is not ready to understand this. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is a seasoned and experienced leader but asks who will take the responsibility of restoring the disarray that has arisen in the INDIA bloc,” read the editorial.

The editorial mentions that some of the parties in the INDIA bloc today were once members of the National Democratic Alliance. “What does the experience of that alliance then tell us? Whether it was in power or not, when a national issue arose, an ‘NDA’ meeting was called in Delhi. Often, leaders like Pramod Mahajan and L.K. Advani would go to that state and discuss with the party chiefs there. The NDA also had a strong convener. For a long time, a senior leader like George Fernandes was in this position and this convenor would interact and discuss with the heads of all the constituent parties, and convene the meetings with dignity. Sometimes Atal Bihari Vajpayee would chair such meetings or L.K Advani would. Therefore, it must be accepted that the relationship within that alliance was not superficial, but rather built on family ties.”

Against this backdrop, the Shiv Sena(UBT) in the editorial makes a strong pitch for a strong INDIA bloc, saying that “elections will come and go but insisting that there is a need to put an end to jealousy, hatred and gossip to take on those who hijacked the elections and taken control of the country”.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 13: Estranged Independent-backed Left legislator P.V. Anvar on Monday submitted his resignation to the Speaker of the Kerala Assembly.

Anvar, in the morning, walked into the office of the Speaker A.N.Shamseer and handed over his resignation letter.

Talks about his resignation as legislator first surfaced last week when he air dashed to Kolkatta and held a meeting with Chief Minister of West Bengal and Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

On Sunday, he took to his social media stating that on Monday there will be important announcements. Keeping his word, he drove from the legislator’s hostel here with the MLA board of his car masked.

After spending a few minutes with the Speaker, he submitted his resignation and told him that he had resigned.

His resignation was on the cards after the Trinamool Congress in Kolkatta announced that Anvar had been appointed coordinator of TMC in Kerala. It was after that speculations surfaced that the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Left would initiate steps to disqualify him as a legislator. Anvar deciding to take the fight to the enemy camp has now resigned forcing a by-election as the term to end for the present Assembly is more than a year.

Anvar first won as a Left Independent legislator in 2016 from the Nilambur constituency in Malappuram and retained it in 2021. But after September last year, he turned the tables on CM Vijayan after turning his biggest critic and has been constantly attacking him.

Things turned for the worse when last week he was arrested and had to cool his heels in jail for a day for damaging a forest office. He led his supporters to protest following the death of a person in his constituency after a wild elephant trampled him to death. He got the bail the next day. Now with his resignation, he will be putting pressure on the Congress-led UDF which has asked him to wait for an entry into their camp.

State CPI(M) secretary M.V. Govindan reacting to Anvar’s news of meeting the Speaker, said there was no doubt that he was headed to the UDF as there is no other option for him. “ His resignation is not going to have any impact on Kerala politics,” said Govindan.