Key Points :
- The Atal tunnel witnessed 3 accidents in a day after inauguration.
- The BRO blames the local police force to not monitor the reckless driving by motorists.
- Within 48 hours , after the BRO raised severe objections the police has been deployed at the tunnel.
- For security reasons and to prevent the lone-wolf attack, no explosives petroleum, oil, lubricants or liquefied petroleum cylinders allowed.
Motor drivers are finding their way to accidents through tunnels by combining selfies with reckless driving while zooming through the 9.02-km long horseshoe-shaped Atal Tunnel, the world’s longest motorable tunnel, in Himachal Pradesh`s Kullu district.
Just a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the tunnel, beneath the huge and majestic Rohtang Pass on October 3, three accidents were reported with the motorists driving recklessly.
The Border Roads Organisation (BRO), a wing of the Defence Ministry that excavated the tunnel at an altitude of 3,000 m or 10,000 feet with sheer hard work and determination in a decade didn’t take the responsibility about this whereas they , on Monday blamed the local authorities for not deploying the police to monitor, to control or charge the movement of the motorists tunneling through it.
Since this issue was raised along with serious objections by the BRO, the state government has now deployed the respective number of police officials after 48 hours.
KP Purushothaman : The BRO Chief Engineer, told IANS that an official communication to provide forces to regulate the movement of the traffic was sent to the Chief Minister’s Office on July 3 and to the local administration on October 3.
The letter, accessed by IANS and addressed to the Advisor-cum-Principal Private Secretary to the Chief Minister very clearly mentioned the exact requirement of the hour I. e the police.
Also along with monitoring,
the BRO asked the civil authorities to station the fire brigade personnel at the tunnel.
“Three accidents were reported in a single day on October 4. The cause of the accidents was largely reckless driving,” he said.
He also added, the CCTVs recorded that a few motorists stopped their vehicles midway while crossing the tunnel to take selfies.
“No one is allowed to stop the vehicle midway and no overtaking is allowed despite the tunnel being double-lane, Purushothaman added.
Regarding the security and to prevent a “lone-wolf” attack, the BRO has not allowed the movement of vehicles through the tunnel carrying inflammable items such as petroleum, oil, lubricants and liquefied petroleum cylinders and explosives.
It’s officially declared that the tunnel will be closed daily for two hours for maintenance — in the morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and in the evening from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
During the closure period, traffic will not be allowed beyond Dhundi, near here, from the south portal and ahead of the Chandra bridge at the north portal to avoid congestion near both the tunnel ends.
The 9.2 km-long horseshoe-shaped single-tube, two-lane tunnel has been constructed under the 3,978 metre Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal range, some 30 km from here.
As far as the economic aspect of this specific region is concerned , people in the landlocked Lahaul Valley, who are largely Buddhist and earn their livelihood by growing a single crop of potatoes, peas and exotic vegetables, believe the Atal Tunnel will bring economic prosperity to the otherwise snow-bound, inhospitable region.
