The Defence Ministry of Arunachal Pradesh on January 23, announced that the Sela Tunnel project has attained a conclusive phase.
The 980-metre Sela tunnel is expected to allow faster deployment of weapons and soldiers to forward areas in the Tawang sector.
Final Blast:
On January 22, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) performed the final blast for the 980-metre long Sela Tunnel and this marked the climax of the works on the complete Sela Tunnel Project. This was informed in a statement by the Ministry. It further added that despite insurgency in the weather and heavy snowfall BRO succeeded in achieving its goal of completing the tunnel.
First blast:
PM Modi in 2019 laid the foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel Project and it was on January 15, 2021 when the work for construction started after the first blast by the DGBR (Director General Border Roads).
On October 14, 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh conducted the blast of the 1,555 meter Tunnel 2 in order to carry the work forward, through an e-ceremony from India Gate, marking the end of excavation on Tunnel 2.
About Sela Tunnel:
It is being built on the 317km long Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) road which connects West Kameng, East Kameng and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country.
It is being excavated below the 4,200 metres Sela Pass on NH 13 section of Trans-Arunachal Highway system. The tunnel will be connected with NH 13 by a new 12.4 km road. It will reduce the distance between Dirang and Tawang by 10 km. Its construction started in 2019 and is scheduled to be completed in February 2022. This project comprises two 1,790 m & 475 m long tunnels and an escape tube of 980 m. It will cut down the travel time by an hour.
Being constructed using the “latest Austrian tunnelling method”, the Sela Tunnel is much below the snow line, which will allow all weather-travel without the challenges of snow clearance.
The tunnel’s overhead clearance is also high enough to allow all military vehicles to pass through it. This will ensure troops and heavy weaponry like artillery guns can be swiftly rushed to Tawang from the 4 Corps headquarters in the plains of Assam to meet any contingency.
Strategic Importance of the Sela Tunnel:
This strategic tunnel is being constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) under Project Vartak. It will enhance Indian military’s capabilities in combating the threat of China’s Western Theater Command opposite India’s eastern sector of Line of Actual Control. It will cut the travel time from the Indian Army’s IV Corps headquarter at Tezpur to Tawang by at least 10 km or 1 hour and also help make the NH13 an all-weather road to access Tawang which usually gets disconnected during winter.
