PM Modi inaugurated the tunnel on October 3 | Photo credit: ANI
Manali: Motorists fight their way to accidents by combining selfies with reckless driving as they traverse the 9.02 km long horseshoe-shaped Atal Tunnel, the world’s longest passable tunnel, in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the tunnel, under the majestic Rohtang Pass on October 3, three accidents were reported with motorists driving recklessly.
The Border Roads Organization (BRO), a wing of the Defense Ministry that dug the tunnel at an altitude of 3,000 m or 10,000 feet with hard work and determination over a decade, on Monday blamed local authorities for failing to deploy police to monitor the movement of motorists.
However, with serious objections raised by the BRO, the state government has now deployed police after 48 hours.
BRO Chief Engineer KP Purushothaman told IANS that an official communication to provide forces to regulate traffic movement was sent to the Chief Minister’s Office on July 3 and to the local administration on October 3.
The letter, consulted by IANS and addressed to the Chief Private Secretary and Advisor to the Chief Minister, clearly specified the police requirement.
In addition, the BRO asked the civil authorities to place fire personnel in 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 said CCTV recorded that some motorists stopped their vehicles midway while they were crossing the tunnel to take selfies.
“No one can stop the vehicle midway and overtaking is not allowed even though the tunnel is double lane,” Purushothaman added.
The BRO in another letter to the local authorities on October 3, the opening day of the tunnel, reminded them to deploy security and fire trucks in the tunnel.
To prevent a “lone wolf” attack, the BRO has not allowed the movement of vehicles through the tunnel carrying flammable items such as petroleum, oil, lubricants and cylinders of liquefied petroleum and explosives.
The tunnel will be closed every day for two hours for maintenance: in the morning from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. and at night from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
During the closure period, traffic will not be allowed past Dhundi, near here, from the south portal and in front of the Chandra bridge at the north portal to avoid congestion near both ends of the tunnel.
The 9.2 km long single tube two lane horseshoe tunnel has been built under the 3,978 meter Rohtang Pass in the Pir Panjal mountain range, about 30 km from here.
The Atal Tunnel, a dream of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and named after him posthumously, has shortened the distance between Manali and Keylong, the Lahaul-Spiti headquarters, by 46 km, reducing travel time by nearly three hours. . It has also ensured all-weather connectivity.
With a maximum speed limit of 80 km per hour, the tunnel is capable of handling 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day.
The inhabitants of the landlocked valley of Lahaul, who are largely Buddhist and make a living by growing a single crop of potatoes, peas and exotic vegetables, believe that the Atal tunnel will bring economic prosperity to the inhospitable and snowy region.
Before the construction of the tunnel, the Rohtang Pass was the only gateway from Lahaul to Manali. The pass was normally closed for five months each winter due to heavy snowfall.
The tunnel construction contract was awarded to Strabag-Afcons, a joint venture between India-based Afcons Infrastructure and Austria’s Strabag.
The Chandigarh-based Snow and Avalanche Studies Establishment (SASE) has designed mechanical structures to ensure the safety of motorists by counteracting avalanches at both ends of the tunnel that remain under the snow even during peak summer season.
Engineers at SASE, a Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) laboratory, said self-escaping snow galleries have been erected for the safety of motorists after studying local avalanche dynamics such as force and Speed.
The first stone of the tunnel was laid by the president of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Sonia Gandhi, on June 28, 2010, in the Solang Valley, near Manali, about 570 km from the national capital.
The completion of the Atal tunnel is a key element in the Defense Ministry’s attempts to make the entire 475 km long Manali-Keylong-Leh highway used by the armed forces to reach advanced areas in Ladakh, in the border with China and Pakistan, can circulate in vehicles almost around the year.
