Recently the Prime Minister named the Rohtang passageway as Atal Tunnel to mark the 95th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajapayee.
About the tunnel
- The foundation stone for the project was laid on July 28, 2010.
- The tunnel connects Manali in Himachal Pradesh with Leh, Ladakh, and Jammu Kashmir
- Being constructed in Pir Panjal range, it will will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres
- The Tunnel will also provide all-weather connectivity to remote border areas of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh.
- The tunnel is expected to be ready for an official inauguration by September 2020.
- Upon completion, the 8.8 km-long tunnel will be the world’s longest highway tunnel at an altitude of above 10,000 feet (3,000 metres).
- It is a 10.5 m-wide single tube, a bi-lane tunnel with a fireproof emergency tunnel built into the main tunnel itself. The 10.5-m width includes a 1-metre footpath on both sides.
- It is being operated by Border Roads Organisation
- Following are the various services available inside the tunnel:
- Telephone every 150 metres
- Fire hydrant every 60 metres
- Emergency exit every 500 metres
- Turning cavern every 2.2. km
- Air Quality monitoring every 1 km
- Broadcasting system
- Automatic incident detection system with CCTV every 250 metres
