Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed a public meeting at Solang Nallah near Manali after dedicating the Atal Tunnel Rohtang at South Portal, Manali.
Speaking on the occasion, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur welcomed the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and thanked them for dedication of Atal Tunnel Rohtang to the nation.
The CM said dedication of Atal Tunnel Rohtang has ushered a new era of development in Himachal Pradesh and given a new identity to the region. It has given all weather connectivity to Lahaul valley and made movement easy in both Manali and Lahaul valleys, which would prove a milestone in the development of tourism in the State.
Thakur while remembering the past reminded Prime Minister Narendra Modi of his paragliding escapades in the late nineties. He said that Solang Nallah has emerged as one of the favourite tourist destinations in the past few years. Dedication of Atal Tunnel Rohtang by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this historic day will boost tourism activities in the area and strengthen the economy of the State, he added.
The Chief Minister said that even in the wake of Covid-19, the Prime Minister made an effort to visit Himachal Pradesh personally to dedicate this tunnel to the nation, which simply showed his love and affection for Himachal Pradesh and its people. He said that Covid-19 prevented us in organising an impressive function, which could have been attended by the people from across the State but all arrangements have been made to telecast this programme live in all 3,226 gram panchayats of the State.
HP Vidhan Sabha Speaker Vipin Singh Parmar, Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur, Transport Minister Bikram Singh, Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur, Power Minister Sukh Ram Chaudhary, Deputy Chairman HP Planning Board Ramesh Chand Dhawala, MP and former Minister Kishan Kapoor, MP Ram Swaroop Sharma, MP and State BJP Party President Suresh Kashyap, MLA and former HP Vidhan Sabha Speaker Dr Rajiv Bindal, MLAs Vinod Kumar, Kishori Lal, Vishal Nehria, Ravi Dhiman, Arun Kuka, Aashish Butail and Vikramaditya Singh, former MP Maheshwar Singh and officers of State and District Administration and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
