Rohtang tunnel work to miss Sept deadline
Tribune News Service
Mandi, April 6
The Border Roads Organisation is sure to miss another deadline of September 30 this year for the completion of construction work of 8.8-km-long Rohtang tunnel as due to ongoing lockdown to control spread of Covid-19, construction work has come to a standstill.
Hundreds of workers work together during construction work inside the tunnel, which makes social distancing impossible.
According to sources, construction workers of tunnel are in fear ever since Covid-19 broke out. Currently, the BRO has limited number of construction workers at the site. A large number of workers could not reach Manali from other states because of the lockdown in the country. The BRO authority Rohtang tunnel has stopped construction work completely.
The Rohtang tunnel would be the lifeline of the residents of the tribal district of Lahaul Spiti, enabling them round the year road connectivity with the rest of the state. The route holds strategic importance because the Manali-Leh route is used by Indian army to reach the border areas of Leh and Ladakh from the Manali side.
After closure of the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul on Manali-Leh highway, the residents of Lahaul valley remain cut off from the road facility from the rest of the state for six months every year.
