New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today presided over breakthrough blast of main tube of Sela Tunnel via video conferencing in New Delhi on October 14, 2021. He said that the Sela Tunnel, located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, will play a crucial role in bolstering national security and ensuring socio-economic development of the region.
Perched at an altitude of 13,800 ft, Sela pass on the 317 km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country. It reduces travel time and provides all weather connectivity to Tawang.
It may be recalled that Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi had in 2019 laid the foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel project to provide all weather connectivity to Tawang through the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang Road. The breakthrough blast of the main tube of the tunnel marks the end of its excavation. Work on the 980-metre long second tunnel of the project has already crossed the 700-metre mark.
Upon completion, the over 1.5 kilometre tunnel will be one of the longest bi-lane road tunnels in the world at an altitude above 13,800 feet. This unique tunnel constructed using the latest New Austrian Tunneling Method is much below the snow line allowing all weather travel without the challenges of snow clearance. It will prove to be a boon for the people of Tawang as it will reduce travel time and ensure speedier movement across the Sela Pass.
In his address, Rajnath Singh commended BRO for making significant contribution to the progress of the Nation by constructing of roads, bridges, tunnels and airfields at record altitudes under extreme weather conditions and making remote areas visible on connectivity maps.
Singh also made special mention of the construction of Atal Tunnel, Rohtang, which is world’s longest highway tunnel at 10,000 feet and Umlingla Pass, the highest motorable pass in the world at 19,300 feet in Eastern Ladakh. He said, these recent achievements of BRO have become a subject of study for the whole world.
– global bihari bureau
