ROHTANG / NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that his government would continue to focus on accelerating strategically important projects and improving infrastructure in the border region.
Modi, who was inaugurating the Atal Tunnel which opens a shorter all-weather route under the Rohtang Pass between Manali and Leh, he spoke about the neglect of the need to improve border infrastructure in previous decades to affirm that “the situation has now changed and in the last six years, border infrastructure – be it roads, bridges or tunnels – is being developed with impetus and great speed ”.
The prime minister’s comments came amid a clash with China that many have attributed to Beijing’s anger over recent improvements to border infrastructure to facilitate faster movement of troops and shops.
Modi said the Atal Tunnel will facilitate traffic between Manali and Leh even during winter, when snowfalls would cause the closure of the route, in addition to cutting the distance by 46 km to reduce travel time by 4-5 hours.
“Like the Atal tunnel, several other projects of strategic importance were neglected for years. The strategically important Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip in Ladakh remained missing for more than 40-50 years. What was the compulsion, what kind of pressure was there? … I don’t want to go into those details, since a lot has been said and written about it. But the reality is that the Daulat Beg Oldie airstrip could become operational due to the determination of the Air Force and the political will that was previously lacking, ”Modi said in what appeared to be a mockery directed at Congress.
The audience included Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, CDS General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Narwane.
The commissioning of Dault Beg Oldie, an air base at a higher altitude and a few kilometers from LAC, has been identified as one of the reasons for China’s belligerence on the border.
“Connectivity is directly linked to the development of the country, especially in border areas where connectivity is linked to national security. However the political willpower and seriousness in such projects was absent for several years, ”Modi said, adding that he could cite more than a dozen strategically crucial projects, which had to be relegated to the freezer due to lack of political resolution.
Modi went on to list the delay in acquiring sophisticated weaponry and equipment – fighter jets, sophisticated rifles, bulletproof vests, ammunition and equipment for the harsh winter – as well as the delay in implementing the “One rank, one pension” scheme. Although Modi did not name names, his remarks in one state, which contributes large numbers of personnel to the military, were clearly directed at Congress.
He said that while the all-weather tunnel that could boost the local economy by helping to develop tourism and horticulture, it was conceived by the former prime minister. Atal Bihari Vajpayee which had laid the first stone for the access road to this tunnel in 2002, subsequent regimes decided to leave it in the background.
“Only 1,300 meters had been completed as of 2013-2014 after it was opened by Vajpayeeji and at that rate the tunnel could not have been operational before 2040,” he said while praising the Border Roads Organization for speeding up the project. . It was a dream project for Atalji. There could be no greater satisfaction than seeing the project complete, ”Modi recalled.
The prime minister also said that the completion of the project shows his government’s commitment to ensuring “sabka saath, sabka vikas”, while previous dispensations tended to focus more on politically beneficial areas.
The Atal tunnel, which with a length of 9.02 km is the longest in the world at such an altitude and conforms to modern sophistication, including means for rapid evacuation in an emergency situation.
After a public rally in Sissu, Modi traveled through the tunnel in an open vehicle.
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