PM Modi to inaugurate Sela tunnel near India-China border

The upcoming inauguration of Sela Tunnel will aid with the all-weather connectivity and troop mobilization along the India-China border in Arunachal Pradesh. This project will improve army logistics and also make the lives of locals easier. 

Back in February 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the tunnel's foundation stone. Lieutenant General Harpal Singh (retd) expressed that this project signifies a big step for the Indian army in the strategic Tawang sector (contested border area) in terms of logistical prowess. Being the head of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO), he supervised the project's critical phases.

Construction of tunnel 

Sela Tunnel is more than 13,000 feet in length making it the world’s longest twin-lane tunnel. The tunnel cost ₹700 crore to be constructed.  

Project Sela Tunnel during construction phase:

Arunachal Pradesh | The Sela Tunnel project, bi-lane road tunnel at an altitude above 13,000 feet upon completion. It is being excavated below 4,200 meters of Sela Pass and promises to provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang, pic.twitter.com/2vVopcnzAq

— ANI (@ANI) October 21, 2021

Project Sela is situated on Balipara-Charduar-Tawang road, where Tunnel 1 stretches for 980 metres, and Tunnel 2 runs for 1,555 metres. Tunnel 2 is a more complex construction as it is a twin-tube tunnel and includes an escape tube for emergency purposes. Two roads are also attached to the project, which are 1.3km and 7km in length. 

Hundreds of BRO workers and over 50 specialist engineers worked towards the project. For studying the rock and designing the tunnel' structure accordingly the latest Austrian tunneling techniques were implemented.

A top committee was set up last year for fast-tracking infrastructure projects near the India-China border.
Multiple ministries were included in the committee such as forest and climate change, environment, defense, road transport and highways, power and new and renewable energy, and railways and communications.

Purpose of Tunnel

The tunnel will enable quicker deployment of equipment, weaponry, and troops in areas closer to the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Lieutenant General Singh stated, “It will offer a fortified, expeditious, and dependable conduit for troop mobilization, equipment conveyance, and vital supplies distribution.”

Sela Tunnel will reduce travel time by more than one hour for traveling to Tawang. Also, all-weather connectivity will be enabled. Now it will be possible to travel to Tawang on the 14,000-foot pass even during wintertime. Previously this area was not accessible for three to four months of the year due to the cold season.  

The tunnel will enable the army to respond to security threats more quickly and project a more determined presence in the advanced zones. Due to the hazardous geography and bad weather, the traditional road route via Sela was vulnerable to extended inaccessibility.

Lieutenant General SL Narasimhan (retd) conveyed that, “Sela remains snowbound in the winters, cutting off areas to the north of it from the rest of the country. The tunnel will enable the Indian armed forces to move and sustain themselves much better.” He is a former member of the National Security Advisory Board and a China expert.

Benefical for local civilians

Experts have disclosed that Sela tunnel will benefit not only army operations but also the local civilian population. Lieutenant General SL Narasimhan informed that “The tunnel is a beacon of transformative progress, promising myriad benefits to the local population. It brings in a new era of secure and faster transportation, mitigating perils inherent to traversing rugged terrain.”

Socioeconomic advancement will also be enabled due to the tunnel. Locals will have easier access to educational institutes, markets, healthcare facilities, and other facilities.