Himachal Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said that the Atal Tunnel Rohtang, which was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on third of this month, provides strategic advantage to the armed forces of the country by providing year-long connectivity to border areas.
The Chief Minister said that Manali-Leh-Ladakh road has a huge strategic significance and Atal Tunnel would facilitate faster mobilisation of troops and supplies to borders of the country. He said that the tunnel would save an entire day for troops and supplies as they move towards forward posts.
The all-weather tunnel would also be a blessing for the people of Lahaul and Spiti district, as it would help them remain connected with the rest of the country throughout the year. For tourists, the 9.02 kms long tunnel would shorten the distance from Manali to Lahaul and Spiti districts by several kilometers, he added.
The Chief Minister further said that the reduction in travel time would help farmers of the valley to transport their produce easily to the market. Now, their precious crops like peas, broccoli and potatoes would no longer rot in trucks before reaching Kullu and other markets. Essential commodities like petrol and vegetable supplies would also be available throughout the year, he said.
Thakur said that the tunnel would also give a big boost to tourism development in the Lahaul valley.
Prior to the opening of Atal Tunnel, residents of Lahaul-Spiti had to face immense hardship to avail even basic facilities like healthcare and food supplies would now be able to reach Manali and connect with the rest of the country, he added.
Notably, the 9.02-km long Atal Tunnel, running across the 13,050-ft high Rohtang pass, on the Manali-Leh axis is the highest motorable highway tunnel in the world. The tunnel has reduced the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km.
Among other features, the tunnel has telephone connections at every 150 meter for emergency communication, fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 meter, auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 meter, air quality monitoring at every 1 km, broadcasting system throughout the tunnel and cameras at every 60 meters.