BRO DG takes stock of Sella Tunnel's progress in Arunachal

CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Director General of Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry on Thursday visited the Sela Tunnel project in Tawang district of Arunachal Pradesh being executed by Project Vartak of the BRO.

The breakthrough of the tunnel was carried out by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh through a ceremony from India Gate in New Delhi on October 14 last year.

The DG took stock of the work progress, a defence communiqué informed here.

Lt Gen Chaudhry while speaking on the occasion said that infrastructure development works in the region have picked up a significant pace in the last two years and many new technologies are being introduced to further accelerate the work.

The Sela Tunnel, being constructed at an altitude of 13,500 feet on the strategic Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road, will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang and ensure better movement of troops and weaponry to various forward locations along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.

Once its construction is completed, the Rs 700 crore tunnel would be the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world at an altitude above 13,000 feet.

The movement of troops and military equipment is severely hit when the Nuranang area, where the tunnel is being constructed, receives heavy snowfall during the harsh winter months of December, January and February.

The project comprises of construction of two tunnels, one of 1.5 Km (twin tubes) and the other of 1 km in length. The tunnels are connected to the main BCT axis through approach roads, the communiqué said.

The project will bypass the existing narrow road leading to Sela Pass and will connect Baisakhi to Nuranang with a double-lane specification road having two tunnels. This will allow unhindered traffic movement in the winter season.

Construction of this project will result in saving of 8 km distance and one and half hours journey through treacherous Sela Pass.

The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2019 and within two years, BRO has completed the excavation of both tunnels. Lining and electric & mechanical work of the tunnel are going on in full swing.

The BRO has been a vital facilitator of the Centre's vision to implement economic development and to facilitate the provision of basic services, tourism and upkeep of peace and security in the remote border areas by the construction of communication arteries and linking them to the mainstream.

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