Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the much awaited Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh. The tunnel connects Solang Valley near Manali to Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti district. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane were also present during the inauguration.
This is a engineering marvel in itself. Built at an altitude of 3000 meters, this epic tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the world.
“Atal tunnel will give new strength to India’s border infrastructure. It is an example of world-class border connectivity. There have been demands to improve border infrastructure but for a long time, such projects either couldn’t get out of the planning stage or got stuck midway. Connectivity has a direct connection with development. Connectivity in border areas is directly related to security issues”, PM Modi said during the launch.
Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tunnel took nearly a decade costing around Rs. 3200 crores. The tunnel was scheduled to be done by the month of May but got delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
This tunnel improves the connectivity to northern regions and India and drastically decreases the travel time.
(Feature image source: Swarajya)
