Shimla: Abhishek Malik, a tourist from Chandigarh, couldn’t help visiting the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.
Malik is among the large number of tourists and locals who were seen taking selfies near the tunnel, the longest in the world at an altitude of 10,040 feet, which has become a tourist destination a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi open it to the public. .
The 9.02 km underpass connects Lahaul of the Lahaul-Spiti district and Manali of the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh.
Malik said he was in Manali when Modi opened on Saturday. “The tunnel is a wonderful piece of engineering,” he told PTI.
Suman, the panchayat chief of Sissu village, visited the tunnel together with several villagers. The north portal of the tunnel falls below the town.
Previously, Suman said, villagers had to travel for about four hours to reach Manali through the Rohtang Pass, which is closed for about six months due to snow-laden roads in winter.
“Now it takes about an hour to get to Manali from Sissu and also with all-weather connectivity,” he told PTI. “It will definitely be beneficial to our cash crops, patients, students and others in the area.”
Meanwhile, an official with the Border Roads Organization said the tunnel would be closed to the public every day from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
Suman is hopeful that the tourism industry will grow in Lahaul after the tunnel opens. However, he urged tourists to avoid recklessness and negligence when driving in the area.
Several cases of reckless and negligent driving and “indecent behavior” of tourists have been observed since the tunnel opened on Saturday night. Incidents of littering by tourists have also been witnessed in the area, according to the village head.
Suman said that the dream of his ancestors had been fulfilled with the opening of the tunnel.
A new era of development will begin not only in his village, but throughout the Lahaul-Spiti district, he added.
This story has been published from a news agency feed with no changes to the text.
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