Arunachal Pradesh: BRO Completes Excavation Work Of Strategically Important Nechiphu Tunnel

In a step closer to providing all-weather road connectivity to Tawang, Border Road Organisation (BRO) conducted a final breakthrough marking the completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel in West Kameng District Arunachal Pradesh on Friday (20 May).

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh laid the foundation stone of this project on 12 October 2020.

The Nechiphu Tunnel, at an altitude of 5,700 feet, is a 500-metre-long ‘D-shaped, Single Tube Double Lane Tunnel’ on the Balipara - Charduar - Tawang (BCT) Road.

Along with the Nechiphu Tunnel project, the Project Vartak of BRO has completed the excavation work of another strategic tunnel, the Sela Tunnel Project, on the same road, in January 2022.

The Sela Tunnel Project comprises Tunnel-1, a 980 m long single tube tunnel, and Tunnel-2, a 1,555 m long twin-tube tunnel.

Once in service, the Nechiphu Tunnel and the Sela Tunnel will provide safe, all-weather connectivity on the BCT Road.

“The ongoing tunnel construction is being accomplished by cutting through fragile and highly fractured rock strata. The attendant challenges are being tackled on a daily basis through strict 3D monitoring and through proactive application of desired tunnel support systems in accordance with the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM),” the Ministry of Defence said.

“The Nechiphu tunnel will accommodate two-way traffic and will be equipped with modern lighting and safety facilities. The tunnel has been conceived to bypass extreme foggy conditions prevailing around Nechiphu Pass which have caused hindrance to general traffic and military convoys since many decades,” it added.

The Nechiphu tunnel will be provided with a state-of-the-art electro-mechanical system, including fire fighting devices, an auto illumination system and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) controlled monitoring systems.

It will also accommodate raised footpaths on both sides for safer pedestrian movement. Also, the tunnel will have ducts for Power cables, optical fibre cables and utility lines to strengthen the civic amenities infrastructure.