sela tunnel: Infra boost for military: PM Modi unveils Sela Tunnel providing all-weather connectivity to Tawang
The foundation of the project was laid by Modi in February 2019, with a cost estimation of Rs 825 crore, but work got delayed due to various reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Sela Tunnel, situated at an elevation of 13,000 feet, will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.
Specifications
Strategically crucial, the Sela Tunnel project, constructed at a cost of Rs 825 crore, includes two tunnels and 8.780 km of approach road. The total length of the project, including the tunnels, the approach and the link roads, will be around 12 km.
Of the two tunnels, the first is a single-tube tunnel of 980 metres in length, and the second is 1.5 km long with an escape tube for emergencies.
An official said that the tunnel, stretching through the Sela-Charbela ridge and constructed with the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM), will be the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel at an altitude of 13,000 feet.
An India-China connection
On the road connecting Assam’s Tezpur to Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang, the tunnel will enable “all-weather” connectivity to the Tawang region and is strategically significant as its proximity to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the official said.
It has been excavated below the 4,200-metre (13,800 ft) Sela Pass, which connects the Tawang district with the rest of Arunachal Pradesh and is often closed due to snowfall and landslides. The tunnel will also provide access to Tawang and other forward areas bordering China throughout the year, enhancing the strategic and operational capabilities of the Indian Army.
PM Modi‘s boost to Northeast
PM Modi unveiled multiple projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in the Northeast. The PM unveiled the projects spread across Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh at a programme in Itanagar.
Apart from the tunnel, 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.
Modi unveiled projects worth more than Rs 3,400 crore in Manipur.
The projects whose foundation stones were laid include the Unity Mall at Nilakuthi, the processing zone of Manipur IT SEZ at Mantripukhri, a 60-bed hospital in Lampjhelpat for providing specialised psychiatric care, and the development of infrastructure for Manipur Technical University in Imphal West district.
The PM also inaugurated various road projects and water supply schemes in Manipur, among other projects.
He unveiled development projects worth more than Rs 1,700 crore in Nagaland.
Among the projects for which he laid the foundation stone are the Unity Mall in Chumoukedima district and the upgradation of the 132 kv sub-station at Nagarjan in Dimapur.
The PM also inaugurated several road projects in the state, including the upgraded road from Chendang Saddle to Noklak and the Kohima-Jessami Road.
The PM unveiled projects worth more than Rs 290 crore in Meghalaya. The projects for which foundation stone were laid were the IT Park at Tura, a new four-lane road and the conversion of an existing two-lane road into a four-lane road at the New Shillong Township.
He also inaugurated the Farmers Hostel-cum-Training Centre in Upper Shillong.
Modi unveiled projects worth more than Rs 450 crore in Sikkim. He laid the foundation stone for several road projects, and inaugurated a new road connecting Tharpu and Daramdin.
He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth more than Rs 8,500 crore in Tripura.
He laid the foundation stone for multiple road projects across the state, including the Agartala Western Bypass. He also laid the foundation stone for the Indian Oil Corp‘s new depot at Sekerkote and Integrated Rehabilitation Centre for drug-addicted persons.
The PM inaugurated various roads in the state along with a project for providing 1.46 lakh households with tap connections, besides the land port at Sabroom in South Tripura district.
Modi also launched a new industrial development scheme for the region, named UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialisation).
The scheme will strengthen the industrial ecosystem in the Northeast, attract new investment, help set up new manufacturing and services units and give a boost to employment, the statement said.
The scheme, worth Rs 10,000 crore, is fully funded by the Centre and covers all eight Northeastern states. It will provide incentives for capital investment, interest subvention and a manufacturing and services linked incentive to approved units.
(With inputs from agencies)
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