Prime Minister Narendra Modi will open the Atal tunnel on Saturday, which will reduce the distance between Leh and Manali by 46 km and travel time by four to five hours, in Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh.
“We have made all the preparations and we are waiting for the Prime Minister. It is a time of joy for the people of Himachal Pradesh. This is a historic moment, ”Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur said, according to the ANI news agency.
“The tunnel is of great importance in light of the situation with neighboring countries, adding that it is not only important from a national security point of view, but also very useful for people’s travel,” Thakur said .
“Around 200 people will be present at the event. The prime minister is sending a message of how close Himachal is to his heart. Appears physically for a development project. We wanted a great opening event. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, only a small event is being organized. The tunnel will also send a strong message from a border security point of view, ”he added.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Atal tunnel on Friday together with Thakur and reviewed preparations for the inaugural function of the Atal tunnel.
Here are 10 things to know about the Atal tunnel:
* The decision to build the Atal Tunnel was made on June 3, 2000 by then-Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The foundation stone for the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.
* On December 25, 2019, the Rohtang Tunnel was renamed Atal Tunnel in memory of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
* The Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 meters.
* The 9.02 km long tunnel has been built to ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas.
* The Atal Tunnel, which is the longest road tunnel in the world, reduces the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and travel time by four to five hours.
* It is a tunnel with two lanes of a single tube in the shape of a horseshoe, with a carriageway of 8 meters and a free height of 5,525 meters.
* It has been designed for a traffic density of 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day with a maximum speed of 80 km / h.
* The tunnel is 10.5 meters wide and a 3.6×2.25 meter fireproof emergency exit tunnel has been built in the main tunnel.
* The tunnel is equipped with various security elements such as closed circuit television cameras, telephone connections every 150 meters for any emergency, a fire hydrant mechanism every 60 meters and an automatic incident detection system.
* There is evacuation lighting and exit signs every 25 meters and a broadcasting system throughout the section.
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