Atal tunnel will not only provide all-weather connectivity but give our forces a strategic edge in troop movements

By Naresh Kumar

We often express hope by saying, �There�s light at the end of the tunnel.� But in Himachal Pradesh, this adage is going to change to, �There�s Lahaul-Spiti and Ladakh at the end of the tunnel.� The long-awaited Atal tunnel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3. Its south portal is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 metres, while its north portal is near village Teling and Sissu, in Lahaul Valley.

The 9.2 kilometre long tunnel is going to open new horizons for the people of Lahaul, Spiti and other far-flung areas of Himachal Pradesh in the true sense of the word. At 10.5 metres wide and 5.52 metre high, this corridor was constructed at a cost of around Rs 3,200 crore. It has state-of-the-art electro-mechanical systems, including the semi-transverse ventilation system where large fans would separately circulate air throughout the tunnel�s length, plus the SCADA-controlled fire-fighting, illumination and monitoring system.

Built at an altitude of over 3,000 metres (10,075 feet) in the Pir Panjal Range of the majestic Himalayas, the Atal tunnel will provide the region with much-needed connectivity, round the year, with the rest of the country. It is a horseshoe shaped, single-tube, double lane tunnel with a roadway of eight metres. It has been designed for traffic density of 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day with a maximum speed of 80 kilometres per hour (kmph). This new-found connectivity with the rest of India will open up many livelihood opportunities for the 32,000 tribal residents of Lahaul and Spiti and the adjoining areas, too.

This strategically-important and extremely challenging tunnel has been built in the tough and hostile terrain and weather of the Himalayas by an expert team of engineers of the Indian Army�s Border Road Organisation (BRO), who overcame the toughest infrastructural and engineering challenge to execute this project. The tunnel has consumed 12,252 metric tonnes of steel, 1,69,426 metric tonnes of cement and 1,01,336 metric tonnes of concrete, and a whopping 5,05,264 metric tonnes of soil and rocks were excavated during its construction by adopting the latest Austrian tunneling method. The engineering team also faced impediments from the fast-flowing water from Seri Nullah on top of the tunnel, thereby making it one of the toughest projects to be executed by the BRO.

The world�s longest highway tunnel at an altitude above 10,075 feet, the Atal tunnel will reduce the distance between Solang Valley near Manali to Sissu in Lahaul by around 46 km. This will cut the travel time from around two-three hours to just 15 minutes, depending on the traffic flow. The project also gains importance as such infrastructure can translate into rapid and efficient delivery of supplies the whole year round.

Situated on the border of two nations, the tunnel will ensure swift movement of troops, speedy transportation of rations, weapons and other logistics, the need for which has been felt for a long time. In fact, given its strategic location, particularly for the defence forces, the feasibility study of the project was done in May 1990 and the geological report was submitted in June 2004, followed by a design and specification study that was prepared and finalised in December 2006. The project received final technical approval in 2003 and tenders were floated in 2007. The foundation stone of the tunnel, which was at that time called the Rohtang tunnel, before it was changed to Atal tunnel by the NDA Government, was laid in July 2010 by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi. Though the project was scheduled to be completed by February 2015, it got delayed due to some unforeseen problems.

Now, that it is completed, the tunnel will ensure that the people of Lahaul Valley are no longer held hostage to the vagaries of nature as earlier the area used to be cut off from the rest of the country for about six months every year due to heavy snowfall.

Plus,  the low temperatures also affected the power and communication infrastructure apart from disturbing life in general. Due to six months of snow, agricultural supplies from the area could not reach markets in northern India. The valley, known for the best potato production in the country, is also famous for its delicious cauliflower, peas, kuth, hops and fruits, especially apples. The all-weather connectivity to Lahaul Valley will now make it easier for the people to sell their produce throughout the year.  Though the Spiti Valley will still be inaccessible in the winters beyond the Kunzum pass, the 117 km distance from Manali to Keylong, which used to take about five-six hours of travel time, will be reduced.

Given the tough terrain and the length of the tunnel, safety has been given top priority by the BRO. Consequently, there is a telephone facility every 150 metres of the stretch, a fire hydrant every 60 metres, emergency exits every 500 metres, a turning cavern every 2.2 km, air quality monitors every one km, a broadcasting system and automatic incident detection system with CCTV cameras every 250 metres. It also has parking facilities in case of a vehicle breakdown. Meanwhile, avalanche control structures are being constructed to prevent future damage to the roads. 

However, it is not just the specifications of the tunnel that are alluring. Its significance lies in the fact that it will be a harbinger of major social changes, denoting a difference in the outlook of the people who led a separate and cut-off existence from the rest of India for half of the year, consistently. The Atal tunnel will immensely fortify the horticulture and travel industry in the area, which are the main sources of livelihood for the people. It will also be a great boost for emergency healthcare in Lahaul Valley as critically ill patients had to be airlifted during the winters.

The opening of the route is good news for businesses hit by the pandemic. The hotels, homestays and tourism-driven businesses that used to operate only for six months in a year will get a new lease of life. Tourists stand to gain as well. Earlier, the establishments charged a premium from the tourists since they were open for a short period due to connectivity and weather issues. Now, with the opening of the tunnel, there is no longer a truncated tourist season of six months. Hence, there will be a major tourist flow throughout the year. Competition will increase and in the end this will benefit customers.

 Imagine the growth this will bring in the number and variety of tourist facilities in Keylong and adjoining areas. Manali, the biggest tourist attraction of the State, may soon be just a stopover. According to Government data, 1.33 lakh tourists visited Lahaul in 2019 whereas a total of 1.72 crore people vacationed in Himachal Pradesh. This means that most of the tourists generally visited Kullu, Manali, Shimla, Dalhousie, Dharamshala and other famous destinations in the State which had  greater  accessibility and good infrastructure. However, Lahaul-Spiti had a low tourist footfall due to the rough terrain and connectivity issues and was just used as a stopover by people doing a road trip from Manali to Leh or vice versa.  There are plenty of homestays and camping facilities at Jispa, Keylong and Sarchu in the Valley and these are mostly visited by tourists en route to Ladakh. This was a major source of revenue for locals as well as the State Government. However, the opening of the tunnel is expected to change all this and strengthen the local economy in every way.

Though this tunnel will open up a world of opportunities for Himachalis, create more job opportunities, boost trade, tourism and sale of farm produce, it will also throw up a few challenges for the local population. Once the influx of tourists begins, they will have to do their bit to protect the fragile environment, pristine beauty, culture and innocence of the locals. The State Government and the tourism board would be well-advised to regulate tourist flow. There will have to  be a mechanism for the development of tourism infrastructure keeping in mind the need to preserve the beauty and environment of Lahaul and Spiti, which is till now known as the abode of gods.

(The writer is a columnist and General Manager, Corporate Communications, with Power Grid Corporation of India)