Atal Tunnel, Rohtang
The strategically important all-weather Atal Tunnel, the longest highway tunnel in the world, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi today. The 9.02 km-long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. The inauguration will take place at 10 am today. It reduces the road distance by 46 kilometers between Manali and Leh and the time by about 4-5 hours. The Tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 meters (10,000 Feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).
ATAL TUNNEL INAUGURATION: LIVE UPDATES
08:20 AM: Visuals from Sissu in Lahaul valley where PM Narendra Modi will address a public gathering today after inaugurating Atal Tunnel which is the longest highway tunnel in the world.
Himachal Pradesh: Visuals from Sissu in Lahaul valley where PM Narendra Modi will address a public gathering today after inaugurating Atal Tunnel which is the longest highway tunnel in the world.
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2020
The tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. pic.twitter.com/9hyFrFy161
08:10 AM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Chandigarh International Airport. He will inaugurate Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh at 10 am today.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at Chandigarh International Airport.
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2020
He will inaugurate Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh at 10 am today. pic.twitter.com/VcnVgrK3rl
ATAL TUNNEL: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
- The South Portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 Km from Manali at an altitude of 3060 meters, while the North Portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3071 meters.
Atal Tunnel inauguration today
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It is horse shoe shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 Mtrs. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 Mtrs.
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It is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 Mtrs fire proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.
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Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 km/hr.
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It has the state of the art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system, SCADA controlled firefighting, illumination and monitoring system.
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The Tunnel has safety features built into it. Some of the key safety features are:
(a) Tunnel entry barriers at both portals.
(b) Telephone connections at every 150 meters for emergency communication.
(c) Fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 meters.
(d) Auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 meters.
(e) Air quality monitoring at every 1 Km.
(f) Evacuation lighting / exit signs at every 25 meters.
(g) Broadcasting system throughout the tunnel.
(h) Fire rated Dampers at every 50 meters.
(i) Cameras at every 60 meters.
