World's longest twin-lane tunnel being built in India at Rs 700 cr; to be completed by year-end
19 May 2022 13:15:16
Itanagar, May 19: Sela tunnel project in China-bordering Arunachal Pradesh that will allow faster deployment of weapons and soldiers to forward areas in Tawang, was delayed due to a prolonged winter that slowed down construction activity. It is now expected to be completed by year-end.
Tunnel 2 has one bi-lane tube for traffic and one escape tube for emergencies. Only tunnels longer than 1,500 metres have to have an escape passage alongside. Winter connectivity to Tawang over the 14,000-foot pass, Sela, posed a logistics challenge for the army for decades, with the movement of men, weapons severely affected for at least 3-4 months.
Over 50 engineers & 500 workers are directly involved in the construction of the tunnel using latest Austrian tunneling techniques, which involve observing and studying the rock & designing tunnel support according to rock behaviour.
Around 4,000 army and civilian vehicles are expected to use the tunnel daily. Its dimensions will support the movement of all types of army vehicles and military hardware including Bofors guns that currently have to be towed to forward areas by Scania trucks.
The Rs 700 crore project was earlier expected to be completed by June 2022. The Sela tunnel, announced by the government in 2018, will be the longest twin-lane tunnel above 13,000 feet in the world, and will cut down travel time to Tawang by at least one hour as well as provide all-weather connectivity.
PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the project in 2019. The project consists of Tunnel 1, which is 980 metres long, and Tunnel 2, a 1,555-metre twin tube tunnel. The tunnels are coming up through two ridges west of Sela. It also includes the construction of two roads, measuring seven km and 1.3 km.
Tunnel 2 has one bi-lane tube for traffic and one escape tube for emergencies. Only tunnels longer than 1,500 metres have to have an escape passage alongside. Winter connectivity to Tawang over the 14,000-foot pass, Sela, posed a logistics challenge for the army for decades, with the movement of men, weapons severely affected for at least 3-4 months.
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Sela tunnel is a part of the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road - one of the key strategic projects near the Chinese border. Once the tunnel is ready, the road will remain open for 12 months of the year, allowing speedy military deployment for reserves, & population will no longer get cut off from mainland.
Over 50 engineers & 500 workers are directly involved in the construction of the tunnel using latest Austrian tunneling techniques, which involve observing and studying the rock & designing tunnel support according to rock behaviour.
Around 4,000 army and civilian vehicles are expected to use the tunnel daily. Its dimensions will support the movement of all types of army vehicles and military hardware including Bofors guns that currently have to be towed to forward areas by Scania trucks.