After the foundation stone plaque laid by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at the ‘Atal Tunnel’ in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang allegedly went ‘missing’, the Congress has threatened State-wide agitation.
On October 3, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ‘Atal Tunnel’ at Rohtang at an altitude above 3,000 metres from the sea level. The foundation stone for the tunnel was laid by Ms. Gandhi on June 28, 2010.
Himachal Pradesh Congress chief Kuldeep Singh Rathore said a complaint regarding the plaque being removed has been sent to Chief Minister Jairam Thakur and the State Director General of Police.
“We have asked the government to investigate the entire matter within 15 days and restore the foundation stone plaque. If the government fails to do it, we will launch a Statewide agitation,” said Mr. Rathore.
Terming it as an ‘insult to democracy’, Mr. Rathore said the Congress had also decided to register an FIR in the matter. “The State government and police are responsible for the foundation stone plaque going missing,” he said.
The 9.02-km-long tunnel was built by the Border Roads Organisation and it connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley, providing all weather connectivity to the landlocked valley region of Lahaul-Spiti district, which remains closed between November and April due to the Rohtang Pass being completely snow-clad.