PM's visit to Himachal for Atal Tunnel inauguration shows closeness to northern state: CM

A day ahead of the Atal Tunnel inauguration, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday, October 2 said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state for the inauguration of the development project shows his closeness to the northern state, adding that PM will reach the venue on Saturday. The Chief Minister also informed that all preparations have been made ahead of the big day and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will arrive in the state on Friday. 

'Moment of joy for the people of Himachal Pradesh'

"We've made all preparations and we're waiting for Prime Minister. Defence Minister will arrive here shortly and PM will reach tomorrow. It's a moment of joy for the people of Himachal Pradesh. This is a historical moment" CM Thakur said. Adding further the chief minister also said that around 200 people will be present at the event. He also emphasised on the significance of the tunnel in the light of the situation with neighbouring countries.

The Atal tunnel is located in Sissu or Keylong in Lahaul. The Prime Minister is expected to flag-off a bus through the tunnel during the inauguration ceremony. The first passengers on the bus would be senior citizens of the region as a mark of respect to the locals of the tribal district, according to the Himachal Pradesh Technical Education Minister Ram Lal Markanda.

"200 people will be present at event. PM is sending out a message that how close Himachal is, to his heart. He's appearing physically for a development project, after 7 months. The tunnel holds great significance in the light of the situation with neighbouring countries", Thakur said.

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About the longest highway tunnel in the world- 'Atal Tunnel'

Atal Tunnel is being inaugurated after 20 years since it was first announced. The Rohtang tunnel has been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Vajpayee had first announced the project back on June 3, 2000, after which the project faced several challenges owing to the sensitive terrain of the region.

Built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) the 9.2-km tunnel is the world’s longest tunnel situated above an altitude of 3,000 metres. It is also said to reduce the travel time between Manali and Leh by nearly 46 Kms which amounts to 4.5 hours. The Atal tunnel is also said to open up new opportunities for tourism in the tribal district. 

It is a horseshoe-shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 meters. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 meters. It is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 meters fireproof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself. Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3,000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with a max speed of 80 km per hour. 

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(With inputs from ANI)