Atal Tunnel: World’s longest highway tunnel

Atal Tunnel: World’s longest highway tunnel

In 2000, Atal Bihari went to Himachal Pradesh and announced the digging of a tunnel under Rohtang. The initial project report showed that the cost of constructing the tunnel was Rs 5 billion or Rs 500 crore. The report mentioned that the tunnel would be completed within 6 years of the start of work.

On May 6, 2002, the construction of the tunnel was handed over to the Border Roads Organisation. As a branch of the Indian Army, they have been working to build roads, bridges, and tunnels in remote areas and in border areas. In their report, the Border Roads Organization said that the tunnel will be completed and open to the public in 2015.

There was again a delay. As a result, no progress was made on the project between 2003 and 2004. The cost of the project has already gone up from Rs 5 billion to Rs 17 billion. In May 2006, Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation International Pvt. Ltd., an Australian company, was hired to build a tunnel near Rohtang Pass. The agency said the tunnel would be completed by 2014. But despite several discussions and announcements, no progress was made until 2008.

However, in September 2009, the responsibility of constructing the tunnel was handed over to a joint venture. The companies were Afcons Infrastructure Limited, a branch of the Indian construction company Shapurji-Palunji, and the Austrian construction company Straberg AG. The Cabinet Committee also gave the green signal to the Rohtang Tunnel project.

On June 28, 2010, the first tunnel was dug at the South Portal of Rohtang, 30 km from Manali. After that, the construction company had to face various natural obstacles while digging the tunnel. Sometimes, they had to deal with landslides, and sometimes streams of water came out through rocks. Therefore, the work was often hampered. It seemed impossible to dig the tunnel. At last, the work had to be carried out by blasting dynamite.

On December 25, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi named the project after Atal Behari Vajpayee. The tunnel was supposed to be opened in May 2020. However, it was no longer possible due to overcrowding and lockdown. It was finally inaugurated on October 3.

Facts:-

1) The 9-km Atal Tunnel is constructed at an estimated cost of ₹3,500 crore.

2) Atal Tunnel in Lahaul Spiti’s Rohtang will shorten the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kms and drive time by around seven hours.

3) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the tunnel by the end of September this year, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said.

4) Once thrown open, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh which otherwise remain cut-off from the rest of the country for about six months during winters.

5) Atal Tunnel will be not only important from the strategic point of view but also give a boost to tourism in Lahaul-Spiti, creating employment opportunities.

6) The tunnel provides a telephone facility on every 150 metres, fire hydrant on every 60 metres, emergency exit on every 500 metres, turning cavern on every 2.2 km, air quality monitoring on every one km, broadcasting system and automatic incident detection system with CCTV cameras on every 250 metres.

7) It will also save crores of rupees in transport costs in the long run.

8) The tunnel has consumed 14,508 metric tonnes of steel and 2,37,596 metric tonnes of cement, and excavated out 14 lakh cubic metres soil and rocks, using the drill and blast technique for excavation and the New Austrian Tunnelling method for construction.

9) The union government in December last year named the strategic tunnel under the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in a tribute to him on his 95th birth anniversary.

10) The decision to construct the strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000, when Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.