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Work On Highly-Anticipated Strategic Rohtang Tunnel Resumes After Special Permission, Opening By September
Swarajya Staff
May 05, 2020, 06:33 PM | Updated 06:33 PM IST
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The work on strategic Rohtang Tunnel which was halted for 10 days due to lockdown has now resumed after the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) obtained special permission from the Himachal Pradesh government, Financial Express has reported.
This has been done to ensure the tunnel work is completed by September. The work is now being carried out with all the required precautions against the Novel Coronavirus.
The tunnel is currently in a critical stage of construction, some of the works being executed are road surface works, ventilation, electro-magnetic fitting and intelligent traffic control systems.
The 8.8-km long horseshoe shaped tunnel to be known as Atal tunnel post inauguration, is the world's longest motorable tunnel 3,000 metres above sea level. It is situated under the 3,978-metre Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal range. It is in the Solang Valley near Manali.
Upon completion, it will also be a boon for the cold deserts of Lahaul Valley, where over 20,000 people remain cut off from the rest of the country in winter owing to the closure of the Rohtang Pass between November and May.
Besides reducing road distance by approximately 46 km and saving travel time of five hours between Manali and Keylong, headquarters of Lahaul-Spiti, 3,000 vehicles can ply per day in the tunnel under any weather condition.
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