Atal Tunnel

Atal Tunnel is located in Himachal Pradesh. It is the world’s longest highway tunnel. The main aim of constructing the Atal tunnel is to reduce the travel time and travel distance to reach Manali. Manali is one of the famous tourist spots in India, which is located 46 km away from Leh. The government of India was named after the tunnel with former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Here, the importance of the Rohtang pass tunnel, features of the tunnel are explained in detail in this article. 

Location of Atal Tunnel

The Government of India laid the foundation stone for the Atal tunnel project in Rohand pass on 28th of June 2010. After ten years of construction, the Rohtang tunnel was inaugurated on 03rd October 2020. The Atal Tunnel route was inaugurated by the Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi. Rohtang Pass Tunnel was constructed to connect  Solang Valley near Manali to Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti district. The government of India named the tunnel on the remembrance of former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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The above image shows the interior of the Rohtang Tunnel.  This picture was taken during the inauguration of the Atal tunnel by the prime minister of India.

Features of Atal Tunnel 

Initially, the Atal tunnel project was estimated with a budget of about ₹500 crores. And is estimated to complete the project in seven years. The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s longest highway tunnel. This Atal tunnel was located in the southern part of Manali. The Rohtang tunnel length is about 9.02km. The tri-service organisations in India altogether worked for constructing these difficult roadways.  Lt Gen. Prakash Suri, PVSM was taken over the charge for the construction of the tunnel. Later, the estimated cost was grown to 900 crores.  

This is located in the Rohtang pass to connect Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley. This pass will connect both places throughout the year. Initially, the valley will remain closed for 6 months a year due to heavy snowfall. An important thing about Atal tunnel is, the tunnel was constructed with the ultra-modern specifications of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. The Pir Panjal range was one of the longest railway tunnels in India located at a high altitude. The Atal tunnel is located at the altitude of 3000 Mtrs (10,000 Feet) above sea level.

The Atal tunnel was constructed in the Rohtang pass and this will shorten the distance to travel from Solang Valley to Sissu.

Significance of Atal Tunnel Rohtang Pass  

The Atal tunnel was constructed to reduce the travel distance between Manali and Leh, which was initially 46 km. And initially, the time to travel from Manali to Leh is about 4 to 5 hours. Because of the Atal tunnel, the distance to travel from Manali to Leh is reduced to 9 km and also it takes about 15 minutes to reach the destination. 

The Atal tunnel was constructed with the art electromechanical systems with semi transverse ventilation. The Atal tunnel also has SCADA controlled fire fighting with illumination and monitoring systems. 

Atal Tunnel present in the Rohtang pass is mainly to provide connectivity of Ladakh for the whole year.  This was the first initiative of the government to connect Ladakh for the whole year. Initially, the route will remain closed during winter because of heavy snowfall. So, Ladakh and Manali will remain connected throughout the year. 

The Atal tunnel is mainly constructed for the strategic benefits of the country’s armed force. This pass provides a year full of connectivity to the border areas. This tunnel will help to Indian army to protect India’s border for the whole year. This will also help for transporting troops and supplies. 

The Rohtang Pass tunnel also facilitates the people in the Ladakh area to get petrol and vegetable supplies throughout the year. This will help them to lead a regular life. 

The whole Atal tunnel has the 4G base transceiver stations, which have 4G connectivity.  The signal provider for the 4G base transceiver stations is BSNL. 

The Prime minister of India, Narendra Modi was also addressed as the farmers, horticulturalists, and youth from the Ladakh region can easily access the capital of Delhi and other markets throughout the year. Because of this, people from the Ladakh region can increase their economic level. And can concentrate on farming for the whole year. 

The Atal Tunnel Route enhances tourism to the Lahaul Valley and Ladakh for the whole year. This will also help to increase the tourism sector in the region and to improve the tourism economy of the nation.  

Other important features about atal tunnel are here. The atal tunnel has 24/7 telephone connections for emergency communication.  These telephone connections are available in every 150 metres. The tunnel also has fire hydrant mechanisms for every 250 meters. The tunnel has an emergency exit for every 500m. To maintain the air quality inside the tunnel, they have air quality monitoring for every 1km. Almost the whole tunnel has evacuation lighting/exit signs and a broadcasting system. 

Rohtang Pass 

The Rohtang pass is located at the eastern end of the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. This was located in Himachal Pradesh. The Rohtang pass is located at an elevation of 3978m above sea level. The total distance of the Rohtang pass is about 51 km. The Rohtang pass connects the Kullu Valley with the Lahaul and Spiti Valleys. Usually, the Rohtang pass will remain open from May to November. During winter, the remains closed, due to the heavy snowfall.

History Behind Atal Tunnel

India’s former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the first person to announce the Atal tunnel project on 06th May 2000. Sonia Gandhi, as a chairperson of the National advisory council, laid the foundation stone for the Atal tunnel project on 28th June 2010. As the Atal Bihari Vajpayee stepped down from the post, the construction work of the tunnel was forgotten by the next government. Till 2013 -14, the construction work of the Atal tunnel was completed for only 1.5 km. According to that, experts said that the tunnel work was estimated to complete in 2040. 

BRO has faced many challenges while constructing the atal tunnel. They also stated that the project was at an unprecedented pace. Every year, the tunnel was constructed for only 300 metres. After 2014, within six years the government has initiated the work again and tuned up the construction of the tunnel. They started construction 1.4 km per year and completed the project earlier. 

In 2019, the  Union Cabinet decided to name the tunnel to give honour to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Because Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee initiated the project construction. Actually, On 28th June 2010, the foundation stone for the Atal tunnel construction was laid by the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. 100% of the project was completed in September 2020. 

By inaugurating the Atal tunnel, the Prime Minister improved the global stature of India. Also, this tunnel improved the infrastructure of the country. This plays an important role in economic and strategic potential at the same speed. The main aim of constructing the Atal tunnel is to provide the solution for Aatma Nirbhar.