New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday said that the inauguration of Atal Tunnel will prove to be a boon for the entire region. Mr Shah described its opening as a ‘historic day’ as the vision of Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee has come true with it.

Taking to twitter, he said “Gratitude to PM @narendramodi ji on the inauguration of an engineering marvel the ‘Atal Tunnel’. Congratulations to BRO for working relentlessly on this unprecedented project”.

Mr Shah further said that the people will now have access to better healthcare facilities, business opportunities and essential items. It will also strengthen our defence preparedness and generate employment by giving impetus to the tourism sector, he added.

“As the longest highway tunnel in the world, ‘Atal Tunnel’ will reduce the travel time between Leh and Manali by 4-5 hours. Being an all-weather tunnel, it will also connect Lahaul-Spiti with the rest of the country throughout the year which used to be cut off for months earlier”, he said in his tweet message.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 9.2 kilometer long all-weather tunnel named after former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in Rohtang pass on Manali-Leh highway in Himachal Pradesh.



Known as Atal Tunnel, this connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. Earlier the road remained impacted for about six months every year owing to snowfall. The tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 metres (10,000 feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).

The decision to build a strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass was taken on June 3, 2000 by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.