Final length of Atal Tunnel adds up to 9.02km: BRO chief

MANALI: The length of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, the prestigious project of the Indian Army that bypasses Rohtang Pass to cut the distance short between Manali and Ladakh, will be 9.02km, said Director General, Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Harpal Singh on Saturday.
The length of the tunnel was initially estimated to be 8.8km, but following the construction of tunnelshaped avalanche control structure, its final length has become 9,02m. After the civil works in the tunnel are completed by August 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it in September or early October. Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, will be the longest traffic tunnel of the world at 10,000ft from the sea level.
Visiting a second time this month, the DGBR reviewed the progress of work. He is personally monitoring the work due to its strategic importance.
“The work in the tunnel advanced at an exceptional pace since the appointment of Lt Gen Harpal Singh as the director general of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), as he is taking personal interest in the project. He visits the site very frequently. Tunnel work persevered through the Covid-19 pandemic only due to his personal involvement. This will ensure that people of Lahaul valley get the benefit of the tunnel this winter season despite blockade of the Rohtang Pass,” said a BRO official.
The BRO is looking at this project as their biggest achievement in tunnel-building and strengthening the border roads infrastructure. This tunnel being the only such tunnel in the country that has been made above an altitude of 10,000ft and is being fitted with latest technologies and safety instruments, it has taught many lessons to the BRO engineers, who had to face many geological challenges while digging it from both sides.
While the Rohtang tunnel will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46km, more tunnels on Manali-Leh axis have been proposed to make this highway all weather and further reduce travel time.