PM Modi Inaugurates Atal Tunnel At Rohtang In Himachal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today Inaugurated the Atal tunnel which is located in Sissu\Keylong in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh. 
The tunnel, which is the highest altitude tunnel in the world, will reduce the road distance between Manali and Leh, and the time about four to five hours and will be available for commuters throughout the year unlike earlier when the valley was cut off for about six months every year amid heavy snowfall.

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Since the 9-km long tunnel will reduce travel time to key border areas for the security forces. "The 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," said The Prime Minister in his inauguration speech.

Prime Minister Modi was accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane, as well as Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.

The decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass in Himachal was taken on June 3, 2000, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister.

The foundation stone for the access road to the South Portal distance of 25 km from Manali was laid on May 26, 2002. The north portal (NP) is located near the Teling village in the Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.

The Union Cabinet decided in 2019 to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the contribution made by the former Prime Minister.

The Atal Tunnel has many safety features built into it. Some of these are listed below:
1. It has entry barriers at both portals.
2. It has an auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras installed at every 250 metres, emergency exits every 500 metres and a turning cavity every 2.2 km.
3. It has telephone connections at every 150 metres for emergency communication.
4. Fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 metres.

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