Tribune News Service
Mandi, July 2
Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would inaugurate the strategically important Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway in the first week of September.
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He laid stones and inaugurated projects worth Rs5.61 crore in Mandi. He inaugurated the District Panchayat Resource Centre under the National Gram Swarozgar Abhiyan
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He visited the tunnel site to review its progress. The 8.8-km-long horseshoe-shaped tunnel is being built beneath the Rohtang Pass, which will provide all-weather connectivity to Lahaul from Manali. It will reduce the Manali-Leh distance by 46 km.
After inspection, Thakur said the construction work of the tunnel was going on a war footing. The BRO would complete the work in August and the PM would inaugurate it in the first week of September.
He said the route was used by the Army to provide essential supplies to the soldiers deployed in the border area of Ladakh. Besides, it would promote the tourism sector in Lahaul.
The opening of the tunnel would enable Lahaul residents hassle-free travel between Manali and Keylong during winters when Rohtang was blocked to traffic for six months every year due to heavy snowfall. The CM also addressed a public meeting at Sissu.
Earlier, the CM landed in Mandi district to preside over a meeting with the district administration over development. Talking to the media here, he said, “The government is planning to reopen the state for tourists. Officials of the department have been asked to prepare SOPs.”
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