Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation the strategic Sela Tunnel project virtually at an event held in Itanagar on Saturday. The foundation stone of the tunnel was laid earlier by him on February 09, 2019, and the construction commenced on April 1 of the same year.
The tunnel project was completed in just five years, overcoming challenges in the form of difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions. The tunnel has been constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an altitude of 13,000 feet on the road connecting Tezpur, Assam to Tawang in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.
Built at a total cost of Rs 825 crore, the tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela Pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang Road, boosting the preparedness of the armed forces and augmenting the socio-economic development of the border region. In his address after the dedication of the project at the event Viksit Bharat Viksit North East, Prime Minister Modi voiced the government’s ‘unwavering commitment’ to the development of the Northeast region.
He said the Sela Tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity and improve the ease of travel for the people of Tawang. Work on many such tunnels is going on in the northeast region, he added.
Prime Minister Modi also criticised the neglect towards border villages by previous regimes at the Centre. He reiterated his style of working as per the needs of the nation and not for electoral considerations. He promised the defence personnel that he would come to meet them at this engineering marvel in his next term.
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and the Union Minister for Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju were among the dignitaries present during the inauguration ceremony. The Sela Tunnel has been constructed using the new Austrian Tunnelling Method and incorporates safety features of the highest standards.
The project will not only provide a faster and more efficient transport route in the region but is of strategic importance to the country. The BRO has always been at the forefront of the development of the border areas.
In the last three years, the BRO has completed a record 330 infrastructure projects constructed at the cost of Rs 8,737 crore. From the same event held in Itanagar, the Prime Minister, among others, inaugurated and dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth about Rs 55,600 crores in Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
