Why Arunachal's Sela Tunnel is significant

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday.

He participated in the "Viksit Bharat Viksit North East" event in Itanagar and inaugurated the strategically crucial Sela Tunnel.

Touted as the world’s longest bi-lane tunnel, it is expected to bolster all-weather connectivity and speedy military deployments to Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang and Kameng along the China frontier, as per PTI.

Here’s all we know about the latest project.

About the Sela Tunnel

Built by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at a cost of Rs 825 crore, the Sela Tunnel is situated at an elevation of 13,000 feet in West Kameng district on the road connecting Tezpur to Tawang.

PM Modi laid the project's foundation in February 2019, however, several challenges, notably the COVID-19 pandemic, caused delays in the work.

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The project consists of two tunnels, one measuring 980 metres and the other 1,555 metres. Tunnel two has one bi-lane tube designated for traffic and another for emergency services.

The Sela Tunnel is situated at an elevation of 13,000 feet in West Kameng district on the road connecting Tezpur to Tawang. News18

There is also an 8.6-kilometre link road connecting the two tunnels.

The tunnel is equipped with cutting-edge electro-mechanical technologies, such as SCADA-controlled monitoring systems, firefighting equipment, jet fan ventilation to preserve air quality, and illumination based on CIE standards, according to News18.

With a top speed of 80 kilometres per hour, the tunnel is intended to handle 2,000 trucks and 3,000 cars every day.

According to an officer quoted by The Times of India, the tunnel was built using the highest safety standards and the innovative Austrian tunnelling technique.

The tunnel is equipped with cutting-edge electro-mechanical technologies. News18

News18 reported over 90 lakh man-hours were required to complete this massive project, with an average of 650 workers and personnel labouring each day for the last five years. For construction, about 71,000 metric tonnes of cement, 5,000 metric tonnes of steel, and 800 metric tonnes of explosive were used.

The project's completion has now drawn attention to India's push for border infrastructure intended to close the gap with China.

Strategically important

The tunnel is significant because it will offer all-weather access to Tawang, which borders China. China has long claimed this area, calling it "South Tibet" and referring to it as a portion of the ancient homeland.

The tunnel, which is close to Sela Pass, had to be built because snowfall and landslides brought on by intense rains forced the Balipara-Charidwar-Tawang Road to stay blocked for a significant portion of the year. Chinese soldiers can also see the Sela Pass from the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and the tunnel beneath it will allow them to get beyond this tactical military disadvantage, as per TOI.

Additionally, there was only one lane of connectivity on the route to Sela Pass, and there were dangerous bends that prevented big vehicles and container trucks from reaching the crucial Tawang sector.

Moreover, it will save at least an hour's worth of travel time to Tawang, enabling the quicker deployment of troops, weapons, and equipment to forward areas close to the 3,488-kilometre Line LAC, which runs from eastern Ladakh to Arunachal Pradesh, according to News18.

The Sela Tunnel project is said to not only boost the country’s defence preparedness but also give a fillip to the region’s socio-economic development. News18

It is also high enough for all military vehicles to pass through in terms of overhead clearance.

The Sela Tunnel project is said to not only boost the country’s defence preparedness but also give a fillip to the region’s socio-economic development, the news channel reported.

A number of tunnels, bridges, and highways are being built in forward areas as part of the continuous, massive effort to close the enormous infrastructure gap with China.

In February 2023, as per TOI, the government sanctioned the construction of a strategically important 4.1-kilometre tunnel under the impassable Shinkun La on the boundary between Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh, at a cost of Rs 1,681 crore.

Other projects to be inaugurated

At the Viksit Bharat Viksit North East event, PM Modi will also launch the UNNATI scheme worth Rs 10,000 crore and dedicate development projects worth Rs 55,600 crore in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh, according to NDTV.

This afternoon, PM Modi will also unveil the 125-foot-tall "Statue of Valour," a monument dedicated to the great Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, in Jorhat.

He would visit Meleng Meteli Pothar in the Jorhat district later in the day to lay the foundation stones for and launch development projects estimated to be worth Rs 18,000 crore. Here, he will also speak at a public gathering.

With inputs from agencies