Improved security along the China border engineering in Arunachal is wonderful
Sela (West Kameng / Tawang): It is an engineering wonder at an altitude of more than 13,000 feet in icy cold weather, which strengthens all-weather connectivity and rapid military deployment in the important Tawang and Kameng areas of Arunachal Pradesh on the Chinese border. . .
The Border Roads Organization (BRO) is working to complete the Rs 700 crore Sela tunnel project, which includes two tunnels and connecting roads, before the August deadline next year. As announced in the 2018-2019 budget, one of the two two-lane tunnels is 1,555 meters, the other 980 meters. The long tunnel has two tubes, the main one and an “escape” for emergency use.
“We hope the project will be completed by June next year. The Sela Tunnel will become the longest two-lane road tunnel in the world at an altitude of 13,000 feet, ”said IIT Delhi’s M.S. .
The existing 317 km long Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) road passes through Sela Pass at an altitude of 13,800 feet on the way to Tawang. “The Sela Pass is visible to the Chinese from the Line of Actual Control. It is harmful for us militarily. The new tunnel will run under Sela Pass, ”said a senior officer in the Army 4 Corps.
Also, the BCT road near Sela Pass is often blocked for military and civilian vehicles due to heavy snowfall during the three months of winter.
“This is going to be a nightmare and it will require extensive snow removal,” said Colonel Mehra.
Constructed using the “latest Austrian tunneling method”, the Sela Tunnel is well below the ice line, which will allow all-weather travel without the challenge of releasing ice.
The upper clearance of the tunnel is also high enough that all military vehicles can pass through it. This will ensure that heavy weapons like army and artillery can be sent from the 4 Corps Headquarters to Tawang in the plains of Assam to deal with any disaster. “The tunnel will reduce the travel distance to just km. However, it will ensure all-weather connectivity and reduce travel time by one hour, ”said Colonel Mehra.
Presiding over a “breakthrough explosion” of the tunnel’s main pipe to complete the excavation work via video-conference last week, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said the Sela tunnel would play a key role in “strengthening national security and ensuring social security.” In the economic development of the region “.
Construction of the Sela tunnel has progressed rapidly, with excavation work on the second tunnel of 980 m already exceeding the 780 m limit.
Colonel Mehra’s long tenure in the Atal Tunnel, the world’s longest highway tunnel of 10,000 feet, has helped a lot. “There was very bad geology. This experience helped me take preventive measures to avoid distortion and collapse here,” he said.
Improved security along the China border engineering in Arunachal is wonderful
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News East India staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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