New Delhi: The World Book of Records today officially certified Atal Tunnel as the ‘World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet’, here today. Lieutenant General Rajeev Chaudhry, Director General of Border Roads Organisation (DGBRO) received the award for the achievement of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in constructing the tunnel that connects Manali to the Lahaul – Spiti Valley. World Book of Records UK, is an organisation that catalogues and verifies extraordinary records across the world with authentic certification.
Atal Tunnel was dedicated to the Nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020. The 9.02 km long, strategically significant tunnel that runs under the ‘Rohtang Pass’ was constructed on the Manali – Leh Highway under the challenging conditions of freezing temperatures in extremely difficult terrain.
Prior to the construction of the tunnel, the highway remained closed during winter season for six months, isolating Lahaul and Spiti from the mainland. Construction of this tunnel reduced the distance on Manali – Sarchu road by 46 km and travel time by four to five hours, providing all-weather connectivity on the Manali – Leh axis.
The construction of this tunnel, nestled in Pir Panjal Ranges of the Himalayas, has been as much a test of technical and engineering skills, as of human endurance and machine efficacy. It has been constructed in extremely harsh and challenging terrain, wherein the temperatures in winters dipped to bone-chilling -25 degrees and often temperature inside the tunnel soared to nearly 45 degrees. Fragile geology and challenges like seepage of Seri Nala, leading to the flooding of the Atal Tunnel, coupled with high overburden & excessive snowfall were some of the principal construction challenges successfully surmounted by the Karmyogis of BRO.
The tunnel, besides offering the Armed Forces a strategic advantage by providing an alternate link to the critical Ladakh Sector, has also been a boon for the residents of Lahaul and Spiti District in Himachal Pradesh. The region has seen an unprecedented increase in the arrival of tourists, and in a little more than a year, the valley and the state have witnessed growth in the socio-economic domains.
-global bihari bureau
