NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the all-weather, world's longest highway Atal Tunnel connecting Manali to Leh on Saturday. The 9-km-long tunnel will shorten the travel time from 5 to 6 hours to an hour.

Here is a look at the important features and importance of the tunnel:

Why It Is Important

The Atal tunnel is the first step towards all-year connectivity to Ladakh. A significant link is the Nimu-Padum-Darcha road axis that will connect Leh through the Shinku La pass. The road is under construction.

The tunnel provides a strategic advantage to the country's armed forces by providing year-long connectivity to border areas. The all-weather tunnel is also a blessing for the nearly three lakh residents of Ladakh as it would help them remain connected with the rest of the country throughout the year. For tourists, the 9-km-long tunnel will shorten the distance from Manali to Lahaul and Spiti districts by several kilometres.

The road has a huge strategic significance. The Atal Tunnel along with the Nimmu-Padum-Darcha road, which is also expected to be completed soon, will facilitate faster mobilisation of troops and supplies to our borders. Military sources said that it will save an entire day for troops and supplies as they move towards forward posts.

The residents of Ladakh who had to face immense hardship to avail even basic facilities like healthcare and food supplies will now be able to reach Manali and connect with the rest of the country using this new tunnel.

The drop in travel time will help many, especially farmers whose precious crops like peas and potatoes will no longer rot in trucks before reaching Kullu mandi. Essential commodities like petrol and vegetable supplies would also likely be available throughout the year.

Residents in Lahaul Valley and Ladakh say that livelihoods in the tourism sector could get a boost. In Lahaul, for instance, visitors from Manali could come for day trips which is impossible to conceive now.

What Are The Important Features of Tunnel

The tunnel reduces the road distance by 46 kilometres between Manali and Leh and the time by about four to five hours.

The tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).

It is horseshoe-shaped, single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of eight metres. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres.

Also, it is 10.5-metre wide and has a 3.6 x 2.25 metres fire-proof emergency egress tunnel built into the main tunnel itself.

There are 18 egress tunnels where after every 500 metres there is an opening in case of emergency. If any fire incident happens so the first thing is how the people trapped are to be rescued. For that, there is an entry at every 500 metres. The tunnels are clearly marked and one can easily find out where is the egress tunnel.

Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3,000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with a max speed of 80 km/hr. It has the state of the art electromechanical system including semi transverse ventilation system.

The tunnel has ample safety features built into it including telephone connections at every 150 metres for emergency communication, fire hydrant mechanisms at every 60 Metres, auto incident detection system with CCTV cameras at every 250 metres, air quality monitoring at every one Km, evacuation lighting/exit signs and broadcasting system throughout the tunnel among others.

How Much Time Was Taken For Tunnel To Complete

The historic decision to construct a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000, when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.

The foundation stone for the access road to the south portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.

Officials said the BRO worked relentlessly to overcome major geological, terrain and weather challenges that included the most difficult stretch of the 587-metre Seri Nalah Fault Zone. The breakthrough from both ends was achieved on October 15, 2017.

The Union Cabinet decided in 2019 to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the contribution made by the former Prime Minister.