Strategic Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh likely to open in October

 OUR CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: Construction of the strategic Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh is nearing completion and is likely to be opened in October this year. Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation, the tunnel in West Kameng district of the northeastern state would provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang district, bordering China. According to BRO sources, one month of work remains for the completion of the tunnel. The Centre is pushing for greater connectivity in the eastern sector of the Line of Actual Control with China by developing infrastructure. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday inaugurated the Nechiphu Tunnel in West Kameng district, which is on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road, ahead of the Sela Tunnel.

The Sela Tunnel comprises Tunnel 1, which is a 980 m long single tube tunnel, and Tunnel 2, which is a 1555 m long twin tube tunnel. Tunnel 2 has one by-lane tube for traffic and one escape tube for emergencies. It will also be one of the longest tunnels to have been constructed above an altitude of 13,000 feet. The project also includes the construction of an approach road of 7 km to Tunnel 1, which takes off from BCT Road, and a link road of 1.3 km, which connects Tunnel 1 to Tunnel 2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project on February 9, 2019. The tunnel, once complete, will avoid all avalanche-prone and snowfall-prone areas. It will reduce the travel time from Tezpur in Assam's Sonitpur district to Tawang by more than one hour as the travellers will be able to avoid the dangerous snow-covered 13,700-foot-high Sela Pass. Tawang is one of the contentious areas that China claims as its own. There has been a push for road connectivity towards the 3,488 km-long Line of Actual Control, which is divided into the Western Sector (Ladakh), Middle Sector (Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand), and Eastern Sector (Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh).

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