CB BureauResidents
of the remote Lahaul-Spiti valley of Himachal Pradesh – who used to remain cut off
from the rest of the country for almost six months in a year – have a reason to
cheer. Their efforts to pursue the government to find an alternate route to keep
them connected to the nation bore fruit when UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi,
sporting traditional Lahauli attire, laid the foundation stone of the Rohtang
Tunnel.
The
horse-shoe shaped Rs 14.93 billion tunnel,
which is expected to be operational in 2015, will provide an all-weather route
to Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir. At
present, the only road connecting the region is via Rohtang Pass, which at an
altitude of 13,044 feet makes commuting impossible during winters.
Once
ready, the route will not only make civilians’ lives easier, but will also help
the armed forces to
have a road link to important areas of Ladakh along the border with China.
The 85-kilometre distance from Manali to Keylong on the other side of Rohtang
Pass is usually covered by vehicles in about five to six hours.
The same distance will now be covered in less than half-an-hour
through the tunnel and without traffic snarls.
Defence
Minister AK Antony, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister PK Dhumal and Union Steel
Minister Virbhadra Singh were witness to the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
The
idea of the tunnel was first proposed by Border Road Organisation (BRO), the road
engineering wing of Indian army, and its importance was keenly realized during the
1999 Kargil conflict.
It
may be noted that Dhumal has already charted out plans to get a railway line,
too, in the region. How long will it take for a rail to reach the valley is to be
seen. Until then, we must hope that BRO heeds Sonia’s caution about ensuring that
there is no ecological degradation during the drilling.
Sudeep Rawat
CB citizen bureau
Himachal Pradesh
Pic: PTI