Atal Tunnel

 

Atal Tunnel

Atal Tunnel (also known as Rohtang Tunnel) is a highway tunnel built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir-Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himachal Pradesh, India. At a length of 9.02 km, it is the longest tunnel above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) in the world and is named after former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The tunnel reduces the travel time and overall distance between Manali and Keylong on the way to Leh. The route, which previously went through Gramphu, was 116 km (72.1 mi) long and took 5 to 6 hours in good conditions. The traveler now reaches the South Portal of the tunnel from Manali, a distance of 24.4 km (15.2 mi) in about 50 minutes, goes through the 9.02 km (5.6 mi) long tunnel in about 15 minutes, and reaches Keylong which is 37 km (23.0 mi) away in about 60 minutes. The new route via the tunnel brings down the total distance travelled to 71 km (44.1 mi) which can be covered in about 2 hours and 5 minutes, a reduction of around 3 to 4 hours when compared to the earlier route. Moreover, the tunnel bypasses most of the sites that were prone to road blockades, avalanches, and traffic snarls.

The tunnel is at an elevation of 3,100 metres (10,171 ft) whereas the Rohtang Pass is at an elevation of 3,978 metres (13,051 ft). It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 3 October 2020. The cost of the entire project is ₹3,200 crore (US$438 million).

Background

The former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone for the approach road of this tunnel in 2002  and after his government was gone, it seemed that work on this tunnel was forgotten. The situation was that till 2013-2014, work done on the tunnel was only up to 1,300 metres (1.5 km). According to the experts if the work on the tunnel continued at the same pace then it would have been completed in 2040 said, PM Narendra Modi.

He further stated that an "unprecedented pace was given to the project. Every problem faced by the BRO was resolved. The result was that while earlier 300-metre tunnel work was being accomplished every year, it reached 1,400 metres a year. In six years, we completed the work of 26 years,” after 2014.

The Union Cabinet decided to name the tunnel as ‘Atal Tunnel’ to honor former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his contributions in 2019. The decision was taken in 2000 when he was the Prime Minister. The foundation stone was laid by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on June 28, 2010.

The Prime Minister added that to match the rising global stature of India, the country has to improve its infrastructure, its economic and strategic potential at the same speed. The Atal Tunnel is a shining example of the country’s resolve to become Aatma Nirbhar (Self Reliant).

 

Significance👇

1.  The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46 Kms between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4 to 5 hours. A journey from Manali to Lahaul and Spiti Valley would now be covered in a little over 15 minutes.

2.  It has state of the art electromechanical systems including semi transverse ventilation, SCADA controlled fire-fighting, illumination and monitoring systems. 

3.  It provides connectivity all year: Atal Tunnel is the first step towards providing all year connectivity to Ladakh. It has the potential to link Ladakh to Manali and Chandigarh throughout the year because it would bypass Rohtang Pass, which is covered with snow in the months of winter.

4.  Strategic importance: The Atal Tunnel will also provide a strategic benefit to the country's armed forces. As it provides year-long connectivity to the border areas. Not only this it will also save the whole day for troops and supplies as they move towards forwarding posts. 

5.  Essential commodities like petrol and vegetable supplies would also likely be available throughout the year.

6.  According to PM Narendra Modi, farmers, horticulturalists, and youth will now also have easy access to the capital of Delhi and other markets. It benefits farmers as now their precious crops like peas and potatoes will no longer rot in trucks before reaching the market. 

7.  Enhance Tourism: The tunnel will enhance tourism as livelihoods in the tourism sector of the residents in Lahaul Valley and Ladakh would increase.

8.  Other features of the Tunnel: Various safety features are there in the tunnel including telephone connections at every 150 metres for emergency communication, fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 Metres, auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 metres, emergency exit every 500 m, air quality monitoring at every 1 Km, evacuation lighting/exit signs and broadcasting system throughout the tunnel among others.

 

9.  In the Atal tunnel, BSNL has installed three 4G base transceiver stations (BTSs) for full 4G connectivity.

 

Trivia

1.  The 9.02 km (5.6 mi) long tunnel is the world's longest tunnel at an altitude above 3,000 m (10,000 ft). The nearest in comparison to the Rohtang Tunnel is the Anzob Tunnel in Tajikistan (length 5 km (3.1 mi), altitude 3,372 metres (11,063 ft)), Salang Tunnel in the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan (length 2.6 km, altitude 3,400m) and the Eisenhower–Johnson Memorial Tunnel in United States (length 2.73 km (1.7 mi), altitude 3,401 m (11,158 ft)).

2.  There were proposals of installing a Neutrino detector in the tunnel by Panjab University and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

3.  After frequent visits of Director General Border Roads, officials from Defense Ministry and Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, 31 August 2020 was the deadline set to complete the remaining works in the tunnel. Started on 28 June 2010, the Atal Tunnel was inaugurated by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi 3 October 2020.