Atal Tunnel has officially been certified by World Book of Records, as the ‘World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet’, during a landmark ceremony on 09 February 2022, in New Delhi. Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, Director General of Border Roads Organisation (DGBR) received the award for the stupendous achievement of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in constructing this engineering marvel connecting 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.
The
Nation’s pride, the visionary project of Atal Tunnel was dedicated to
the Nation by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on October 03, 2020.
The 9.02 km long, strategically significant, Atal 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
& Spiti from the mainland. Construction of this tunnel has 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 & 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
BRO, true to its motto ‘Connecting Places Connecting People’ has
provided an engineering marvel in Atal Tunnel, Rohtang. 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 & 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. The Atal Tunnel is
destined to play a defining role in the future development of the
region.