If there had been greater focus on developing tourism and infrastructure, then people from all over the world would have been streaming to the Kashmir valley," PM Modi said.He said his government was committed to ensure fast-paced development of Jammu and Kashmir, which would also tell the people living under "occupation" in the other parts of the state how they are being destroyed.Earlier today, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Chenani-Nashri tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway in the presence of chief minister Mehbooba Mufti and governor N N Vohra.Built over a period of five years and traversing the treacherous Himalayan terrain, the tube is being touted as the longest road tunnel in the country. The 10.89 km long tunnel is a part of the Jammu-Srinagar Highway’s four-laning project and will reduce the distance between Udhampur district’s Chenani and Ramban’s Nashri from 41 km to just 10.89 km, which can be covered in just 10 minutes instead of the two and a half hours usually required. The tunnel is will be reducing the time required to travel on National Highway 44 between Jammu and Srinagar by around 2 hours as it has shortened the distance by 30 km, and will also bypass areas like Kud, Patnitop and Batote, which are prone to landslides and heavy snow. The tunnel is aimed to provide relief to travellers on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway, as it will reduce the travel time on National Highway 44 between Jammu and Srinagar by about 2 hours by shortening the distance between the cities by 31 km. A unique feature of the tunnel is that at every 150 metres it has an emergency SOS box and a safety evacuation

 passage connecting to a safety tunnel constructed parallel to the main tunnel.
India inaugurates the 9.2-kilometer Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.