Manali: Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has stated that the Atal tunnel, conneting Manali valley with Lahaul would be completed by the end of August and Prime Minister is likely to dedicate the project to the people of the country probably bySeptember. He was addressing the people at Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti district today.
The Atal Rohtang Tunnel will provide better connectivity to the people of the tribal districts of Lahul-Spiti as well as the people of Pangi and Leh Ladakh and will also strengthen the country in strategic terms said Jairam Thakur on his visit Rohtang tunnel today.
The Rohtang tunnel is of a strategically important project in the region which would be accessible to residents of the Lahaul valley all round the year. Besides, the route would be used by the Army to provide essential supplies to soldiers near the border in Ladakh.
Ever since the bloody clash in the Galwan valley between India and China, pressure is was building on the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) to complete the project in time. As per sources , during the lockdown, the construction work of the tunnel got affected, but now, the BRO had expedited it. The civil work was almost complete while electrification and mechanical work was going on a war footing.
Chief minister Jai Ram visited the site of the tunnel and after reviewing the progress asked the BRO to expedite the work.
The tunnel is being built beneath the Rohtang Pass on the Manali-Leh highway. The residents of the Lahaul valley are cut off from the rest of the country for almost six months every year because of the closure of the pass due to heavy snowfall at pass.
After the construction of the tunnel, the travel time will be reduced by three hours for light vehicles and six hours for goods-carrier vehicles between Manali and Leh. It would reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km.
Sanjay Dutta, an engineer by qualification but is a journalist by choice.
He has worked for the premier new agency Press Trust of India and leading English daily Indian Express.
With more than a decade of experience, he has been highlighting issues related to environment, tourism and other aspects affecting mountain ecology.
Sanjay Dutta lives in a village close to Manali in Kullu valley of Himachal.
