LIVE UPDATE; PM Modi Unveils Sela Tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh
PM will participate in the 'Viksit Bharat Viksit North East' programme in Itanagar
ITANAGAR- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in the Northeast, including the strategic Sela tunnel which will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
The PM inaugurated the Sela tunnel by flagging off an Arunachal Pradesh State Transport bus that went through it. The PM unveiled the projects spread across Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh at a programme in Itanagar.
He laid the foundation stone of the Dibang Multipurpose Hydropower Project in the Lower Dibang Valley district, which will be built at a cost of Rs 31,875 crore. It will be the highest dam structure in the country.
He also laid the foundation stones for several roads, environment and tourism projects and the upgradation of schools.
He inaugurated about 1,100 projects of Jal Jeevan Mission in the state, and 170 telecom towers under the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) benefiting more than 300 villages, among others.
The PM also handed over more than 35,000 houses constructed at a cost of Rs 450 crores under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
LIVE UPDATES FROM ASSAM ; PM Modi visits Assam’s Kaziranga National Park
About The Sela Tunnel
- Situated at an elevation of 13,000 feet, the world’s longest twin-lane tunnel, ‘Sela Tunnel’ has been built by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) at a cost of Rs 825 crore.
- The project has two tunnels- Tunnel 1 is approximately 1,003 metres long and the Tunnel 2 is a twin-tube tunnel that is 1595 metres long
- The tunnel project also includes two roads measuring 8.6 km and is designed for a traffic density of 2,000 trucks and 3,000 cars a day, with a maximum speed of 80 kmph.
- It is a significant tunnel project as it will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang bordering China and will cut down the travel time to Tawang by at least an hour. This will enable faster deployment of soldiers, weapons, and equipment near the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
- The need for the construction of the tunnel arose as the Balipara-Charidwar-Tawang Road remains closed for a large part of the year due to heavy snowfall and landslides.
- Located near the Sela pass, the ‘Sela Tunnel’ project is said to boost India’s defence preparedness and contribute towards the region’s socio-economic development.
- PM Modi laid the foundation of the tunnel project back in February 2019. However, due to the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the construction was delayed.
He will also travel to the neighboring state Assam and reach Jorhat where he will unveil the statue of renowned Ahom general Lachit Borphukan. The PM will also launch and lay foundation stone of various development projects worth more than Rs 17,500 crore in Assam.
