BRO deploys 67% of workforce in Northern borders: Defence Min at Atal Tunnel webinar

Stating that the government has given high priority to the development of border areas, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Monday that the BRO has deployed 67% of its workforce in Northern borders. The Minister was speaking at the inauguration of a day-long Webinar on the Atal Tunnel. 

BRO organized the webinar to share the experiences gained on constructing this tunnel, for the benefit of IITs, NITs, and other technical institutions.

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Lauding the BRO’s efforts and achievements in the past year despite COVID-19 restrictions, Singh said, there had been no cut in its budget. He said that the spirit of national pride is extremely important for building a great structure like Atal Tunnel. Recalling various past achievements of Indian scientists and engineers, Singh said they have always shown their prowess in various streams.

The Defence Minister also released a Compendium of documents listing the experiences and challenges encountered during the construction of the largest tunnel in the world above 3,000-metre elevation. Highlighting Prime Minister Narendra Modi's message on the Atal Tunnel project, Rajnath Singh said, "such ambitious projects are not only built on bricks and stones and budget but the pride inside us for the nation keeps us motivated."

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'World's largest tunnel'

Atal 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 Atal tunnel is the world’s longest tunnel situated above an altitude of 3,000 meters. It is said to reduce the travel time between Manali and Leh by nearly 46 km 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-meter 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 a 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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