New Delhi : Construction of the world’s longest road tunnel located at 10 thousand feet has been completed in the country. It took ten years to make it. But now Ladakh will be fully connected to other states/cities throughout the year. Also, because of this, the distance between Manali and Leh has reduced by about 46 kilometers. Its name is ‘Atal Rohtang Tunnel’. It is named after former Prime Minister Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
This Atal Rohtang Tunnel, built at an altitude of 10,171 feet, has been built by connecting it to Rohtang Pass. It is the world’s longest road tunnel. It is about 8.8 km long. It is also 10 meters wide. Now the distance from Manali to Leh has reduced by 46 kilometers. Now you can complete this distance in just 10 minutes.
According to the media report, four more tunnels are proposed on the Nali-Leh road, at present, construction of this tunnel has been completed. It is believed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate it at the end of September. This tunnel will not only connect Manali to Leh but will also ease traffic in Lahaul-Spiti in Himachal Pradesh. It will also connect Lahaul-Spiti district with Manali in Kullu district. (Photo: BRO)
Due to this tunnel, the Indian troops deployed in Ladakh will get the most benefit. Because of this, arms and logistics will be easily supplied even in winter. Now not only the Zoji La pass but this route will also be able to supply goods to the soldiers.
Within this tunnel, any vehicle will be able to run at a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour. It was started on 28 June 2010. It has been built by the Border Road Organization (BRO). This tunnel is built in the shape of a horseshoe.
The engineers and staff of BRO had to put a lot of effort in making it. Because it used to be very difficult to work here in winter. The temperature here used to go up to minus 30 degrees. During the construction of this tunnel, 8 lakh cubic meters of stone and soil were extracted. In the summer, here five meters of digging were done every day. But in winter it was reduced to half a meter.
This tunnel is built in such a way that 3000 cars or 1500 trucks can run simultaneously in it. It has cost about 4 thousand crores rupees. State-of-the-art Australian tunneling methods have been used inside the tunnel. The ventilation system is also based on Australian technology.
DRDO has also helped in designing this tunnel so that snow and avalanche does not affect it and traffic is not interrupted in any weather. Inside this tunnel, CCTV cameras will be installed at a certain distance which will help in controlling the speed and accidents. A fire hydrant has been arranged every 200 meters inside the tunnel. So that control can be found in case of fire.
Punjab University and Tata Institute of Fundamental Research have also asked the government for permission to install a neutrino detector for conducting scientific experiments in this tunnel. Now through this tunnel, the jam on the mountains will be avoided. This tunnel will save a lot of time in going from Manali to Leh.