Final breakthrough made in Sela Tunnel construction

OUR CORRESPONDENT

TEZPUR: The last blast of the 980m-long Sela Main Tunnel (T1) was done on Saturday under Project Vartak of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Tezpur in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

It is a momentous occasion for the nation and the BRO as this marks the culmination of all major excavation of the prestigious Sela Tunnel Project, which will prove to be a boon for connectivity of Tawang. This feat has been achieved in the midst of inclement weather wherein continuous snowfall and unprecedented low temperatures due to La Nina phenomenon have posed multiple challenges.

The foundation stone of the project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019 and within three years all the three tunnels having a cumulative length of more than 4km have been excavated by the project team, including BRO and Patel Engineering, at a formidable altitude above 13,000ft. The authority engineer CEMOSA has also been playing an active role in the project, ensuring unabated progress.

The project configuration comprises of Tunnel 1 of 980m long single tube tunnel and Tunnel 2 of 1,555m long twin tube tunnel. Tunnel 2 has one bi-lane tube for traffic and one escape tube for emergencies. The project comprises an approach road of 7km to the Tunnel 1 which takes off from km 229 of BCT Road and both the tunnels are interconnected by a road stretch of 1.3km. Approach to Tunnel 2 is 340m, which takes off from km 247 of BCT road.

The excavation of main tunnel (T1) of 980m length of Sela Tunnel Project was started on January 15, 2021 after the first blast was taken by DG of Border Roads Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry. Project Vartak has set unprecedented standards of pace of tunnel construction in the Himalayas by completing excavation of almost a kilometre at an altitude above 13,000 feet within a span of just one year.

BRO has been setting unparalleled examples of infrastructural marvels in the most difficult areas of the nation under the leadership of Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry. The organization has taken up tunnelling in a big way with many tunnels like Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, Theing Tunnel in Sikkim and Chamba Tunnel in Uttrakhand already in the kitty. The organization is now taking up a tunnel under Sinkunla Pass in Ladakh which will offer all weather connectivity to Leh after Atal Tunnel has obviated the Rohtang pass. The organization has also taken up a series of small departmental tunnels which BRO will construct with own manpower.

With this breakthrough on Saturday, BRO will accelerate the Sela Tunnel project even further to achieve the completion in stipulated timelines. The achievement is even more special due to the fact that Karmyogis of BRO have worked tirelessly under inclement weather, snowfall and unprecedented low temperatures due to La Nina phenomenon to achieve this breakthrough today and are endeavouring to progress even faster now.

Also Read:  Major breakthrough by BRO in Sela Tunnel project in West Kameng District

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