A major terrorist attack occurred in Sonamarg area of Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district on Sunday night. At least seven people, including a doctor from Badgam and five non-locals, were killed in the attack, while five others were injured.
Workers and other employees of the Z Mod tunnel project in Ganderbalgund had returned to the camp late at night when the terrorists launched the attack. This is the first major attack on construction workers on major infrastructure projects in the valley. The attack occurred in an area where terrorists have rarely been seen over the past decade.
Officials said workers and other personnel working on tunnel projects in the district’s Gond area were attacked by unidentified terrorists when they returned to the camp late at night. He said the terrorists fired indiscriminately at the group of workers, which included locals and outsiders. The number of terrorists is believed to be at least two.
Employees all gathered in a chaotic place to eat
The terrorists launched the attack at 8:30 p.m. At this time, all the employees have gathered in the canteen to eat. Witnesses said that while employees were eating in the restaurant, three terrorists arrived there and started shooting indiscriminately. Before everyone could understand, the terrorists fled from there after committing the crime. Two cars were also burnt to ashes in the terrorist gunfire.
Also Read: Gaganir Terror Attack: Terror attack in Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir, indiscriminate firing on tunnel workers, 7 including doctor killed
Migrant workers again targeted
Terrorists are once again deliberately targeting migrant workers. The construction company employees killed in the attack also belonged to different locations. Three of them are from Bihar, one from Madhya Pradesh and one from Jammu, including a safety manager and a machinery manager. The deceased doctor was a resident of Budgam in central Kashmir.
Names of the victims: Gurmeet Singh Gurdaspur (Punjab) Dr. Shahnawaz Resident (Budgam) Mohammad Hanif (Bihar) Anil Kumar Shukla, Machinery Manager (Madhya Pradesh), Faheem Nasir, Security Manager (Bihar) Kaleem (Bihar) Erbang), Shashi Abrol. , Designer (Jammu).
Five workers were seriously injured in the attack and have been admitted to Sher Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) in Srinagar for treatment.
Tunnel safety issues
The biggest question that arises after this attack is that such an important tunnel was constructed without security measures? Because of the way terrorists commit crimes and come back again, it will be considered a security failure. A: At present, the security department has not disclosed the relevant situation.
Who is the terrorist organization TRF?
The attack was carried out by the terrorist group The Resistance Front (TRF), which is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba. The terrorist organization was established in 2019. The Interior Ministry has also banned this. TRF is linked to Hafiz Saeed’s terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba. TRF has been responsible for many major terrorist incidents in Kashmir and often targets immigrants.
What is the Target Z Mode Project?
The doctors and workers who were attacked were part of the construction crew of the Z-Morh tunnel, which connects Gagannath to Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district. The construction work of the 6.5-km-long Z-Morh tunnel, constructed at a cost of Rs 2,680 crore, is almost complete. The tunnel is being constructed between Srinagar and Sonmarg. This Ton932 will bypass the avalanche affected area near Gangangir. The aim is to provide year-round connectivity between Srinagar and Sonamarg. It’s known as a “Z-turn” because of the shape of the tunnel, and a two-lane road is being built inside. The purpose of the tunnel is to provide all-weather connectivity to the tourist town of Sonamarg.
Also Read: Army scores huge success in Jammu and Kashmir, two terrorists arrested in Poonch, ammunition and grenades also recovered.
The Z-Morh tunnel project includes a main tunnel with a total length of 10.8m, an improved horseshoe-shaped escape tunnel with a total length of 7.5m, and a D-shaped ventilation tunnel with a total length of 8.3m. The total tunnel length is 110m and 270m. It is planned to build 2 large culverts with a total length of 30 1 small culvert of meters. Construction work on the Z Mod tunnel is nearing its final stages.
The Z-Morh Tunnel area is of strategic importance as its construction will ensure uninterrupted connectivity between Srinagar and Kargil and will significantly reduce travel time between Srinagar and Leh.
APCO is building a tunnel
The tunnel was built by a Uttar Pradesh-based construction company called APCO. EPCO is headquartered in Lucknow. Its owner is Anil Singh. The company has successfully completed road, transportation, irrigation projects in several states including Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Bengaluru, Chennai, Maharashtra, including the country’s first 14-lane highway (Delhi -Meerut Expressway), in addition to major projects such as Jammu and Kashmir. These include the iconic Z Fold tunnel project in Mumbai, a cable-stayed bridge in Mumbai and an elevated elevated metro project in Delhi/NCR. Apart from this, the company has also completed construction work on the Rs 9,000-crore Versova-Bandra Sea Link project in Mumbai in 2022.
