Key Points:
- The Atal Tunnel is ready for the vehicles to run on it
- PM Modi is likely to inaugurate the underpass and flag off the first bus through the tunnel on October 3.
- The tunnel is named under the late former Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee who announced the project back in 2000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate Atal Tunnel on the Leh-Manali highway in Himachal Pradesh on October 3. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said Modi will tentatively come to Manali on October 3.
हम सब हिमाचलवासियों लिए यह काफी प्रसन्नता का विषय है कि अटल रोहतांग टनल बनकर तैयार हो गई है।
आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री जी और रक्षामंत्री जी इसके उद्घाटन के लिए शीघ्र ही हिमाचल आएंगे।
अब लाहौल-स्पीति के साथ आवाजाही हेतु 12 माह का संपर्क बना रहेगा। pic.twitter.com/RDN66fJa2B
— CMO HIMACHAL (@CMOFFICEHP) September 23, 2020
“The government will honor elderly residents of Lahaul by making them the first passengers to cross this tunnel by bus,” State Technical Education Minister Ram Lal Markanda said. Markanda also said that the tunnel will open new opportunities by giving a boost to tourism and the economy of the tribal district. This will also help accelerating movements of troops to the border areas in Ladakh. The underpass will provide all-weather connectivity to tribal Lahaul-Spiti district.
आज माननीय मुख्यमंत्री श्रदेय जयराम ठाकुर जी का लाहौल पहूंचने पर पार्टी कार्यकर्ताओं ने भव्य स्वागत किया।
माननीय मुख़्यमंत्री जी ने लाहौल पहूंचकर माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्रदेय नरेन्द्र मोदी जी के अटन टनल के उद्घाटन के बाद लाहौल में जन सभा के लिए जनसभा स्थल का भी जायज़ा लिया pic.twitter.com/AQn5TP810y
— Dr. Ram Lal Markanda (@DrMarkanda) September 23, 2020
About the Atal Tunnel:
– The 9.2-km tunnel is the world’s longest above an altitude of 3,978 metres.
– It will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and 4.5 hours by time.
– It is a 10.5-metre wide single tube bi-lane tunnel with a fire proof emergency escape tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.
– Telephone facility at every 150 metres
– Fire hydrant at every 60 metres
– Emergency exit at every 500 metres
– Turning cavern at every 2.2 km
– Air quality monitoring at every 1 km
– Broadcasting system and automatic incident detection system with CCTVs at every 250 metres.
