Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang on Saturday, which connects Solang Valley near Manali to Sissu in Lahaul and Spiti district. The Atal Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the world (9.02-km), built at an altitude of 3,000 meters. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Army Chief General MM Naravane.
The tunnel cuts through a mountain west of the Rohtang La and will now shorten the distance between the two points by around 46 km. What was a nearly 4 hour will now take around 15 minutes. The double-laned tunnel can handle around 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day, with a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.
