Prime Minister Narendra Modi today dedicated the world’s longest Atal tunnel to the nation. The Atal Tunnel in Rohtang was built by digging through the Himalayan mountains. The assessment is that the tunnel would be a great relief to the military move to Ladakh.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Army Staff Bipin Rawat, and Chief of Army Staff MM Narwane. It is also the first inauguration by Prime Minister Modi in seven months during the Corona expansion. The construction cost of the project is Rs 3,086 crore.
The Atal Tunnel is a road that connects Ladakh and Manali. The tunnel, which is 3000 feet above sea level, was constructed at a cost of Rs 3200 crore. The length of the tunnel is 9.02 km. The tunnel can carry 3,000 vehicles per day in any weather. The Atal tunnel can be used by up to 1,500 trucks at a time. The maximum speed inside the tunnel is 80 kilometers per hour.
The tunnel will have a semi-transverse ventilation system. All arrangements have been made to deal with any emergency. Particular attention has been paid to safety inside the tunnel. There will be entrances on both sides, and there will be checks. Emergency communications are available every 150 meters. There will be a fire plant every 60 meters. In addition, CCTV has been set up to detect accidents every 250 meters. There is also an arrangement to check the air quality every kilometer.
The Atal Tunnel in Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh is the longest tunnel in the world. The Atal Tunnel, one of the proudest engineering marvels in the country, can reduce the travel distance from Manali in Himachal Pradesh to Leh in Ladakh by 46 km. In addition to this, the strategic areas on the border can end up being isolated for 6 months.
The decision to build the tunnel in Himachal was taken in June 2000 when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister. The foundation stone was laid on May 26, 2002. Construction began in June 2010. The road was named Atal Tunnel in connection with Vajpayee’s birthday. The 9.02 km long tunnel was constructed by the Border Roads Organization. KP Purushothaman, a Malayalee, was the Chief Engineer.
