Defence Minister Rajnath Singh virtually conducted the final breakthrough blast of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh and flagged of a 20,000-km-long motorcycle expedition of the BRO on Thursday.
Sela Tunnel, located in West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, will play a crucial role in bolstering national security and ensuring socio-economic development of the region, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Thursday presiding over breakthrough blast of main tube of the tunnel.
Being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Sela Tunnel will be the longest bi-lane road tunnel in the world which is being constructed using the latest New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM). It is considerably below the snow line, which makes it accessible during all weather.
Perched at an altitude of 13,800 ft, Sela pass on the 317 km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country. It reduces travel time and provides all weather connectivity to Tawang.
The tunnel goes through Sela Pass and is expected to cut down the distance to the China border through Tawang district in Arunachal Pradesh by 10 km. The construction work of the tunnel is expected to be over by June 2022.
The Sela tunnel would cut down the travel time between the Army's 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam and Tawang by at least an hour.
Moreover, it would ensure that National Highway 13, especially the 171-km stretch between Bomdila and Tawang, remains accessible in all weather conditions.
