Sunday, 04 October 2020 | PNS | New Delhi
Border connectivity gets boost, Cong compromised defence interests: Modi
Strategically important Ladakh will now be linked to the mainland round the year with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the all-weather Atal Tunnel on Saturday.
The tunnel will give a major boost to the operational readiness of the troops through logistical back-up, besides making essential items available to the local population.
Dedicating the crucial connectivity to the nation, Modi also criticised the main Opposition party Congress, without naming it, for neglecting defence and strategic interests of the country.
He claimed the defence interests were compromised under its rule.
The Prime Minister cited a number of projects, from the tunnel to the air strip at Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh, and claimed they had been either delayed or forgotten.
He questioned the “compulsion” or “pressure” that might have been beyond the delays.
“There was no political will. I can talk about dozens of projects that are important from the strategic point of view, but for years they were neglected,” he said, adding, “Nothing is more important to us than protecting the country… the nation has seen an era when defence interests were compromised.”
The nine-km long tunnel in Rohtang constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) connects Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti valley and reduces travel time to Leh (in the Union Territory of Ladakh) by up to five hours and more than 45 km.
Describing the moment as a “historic day” and one that heralded the realisation of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream – the tunnel has been named after him – Modi said the tunnel would strengthen India’s border infrastructure.
“The Atal tunnel will give new strength to India’s border infrastructure. It is an example of world-class border connectivity. There have been demands to improve border infrastructure but, for a long time, such projects either couldn’t get out of the planning stage or got stuck midway,” the Prime Minister said in his inauguration speech.
“This tunnel is not only important to Himachal, but also because it facilitates a connection to Ladakh. People who live in the mountains would know the significance of cutting down travel time by four or five hours,” the Prime Minister added.
He was accompanied by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane, as well as Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur.
Described as the longest highway construction of its kind in the world (above 10,000 feet), the 9.02 km-long Atal Tunnel is built to “ultra-modern specifications” at an altitude of 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas.
It is a horse shoe-shaped, single-tube, double lane tunnel with a roadway of eight metres and has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day, each of which can travel at a maximum speed of 80 kmph. The south portal (SP) of the tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali and at an altitude of 3,060 metres. The north portal (NP) is located near the Teling village in the Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.
The decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh was taken on June 3, 2000, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was Prime Minister. The foundation stone for the access road to the South Portal was laid on May 26, 2002. The Union Cabinet decided in 2019 to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the contribution made by the former Prime Minister.
Explaining the significance of the tunnel in terms of defence preparedness, officials said earlier, the Army used to start its winter stocking for Ladakh in the four month window in summers as all the approach passes like Rohtang and Zojila in Kashmir get blocked due to snow from October onwards.
The other unique features of the Tunnel include state-of-the-art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system, SCADA controlled firefighting, illumination, and monitoring system, entry barriers at both portals, telephone connections at every 150 meters for emergency communication.
The other features are fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 meters, auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 meters, Air quality monitoring at every 1 km, evacuation lighting or exit signs at every 25 meters, Broadcasting system throughout the tunnel, fire-rated Dampers at every 50 meters and also has cameras at every 60 meters.
