Proud moment for India! Atal Tunnel makes it to World Book of Records

It's a moment of pride for India as Atal Tunnel makes it to the World Book of Records. Atal Tunnel is the world's longest highway tunnel.  

The proud development has been confirmed by MyGovIndia in a tweet.

A moment of pride for India! Atal Tunnel makes it to the World Book of Records! pic.twitter.com/5n6ZEEYpi7

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) February 11, 2022

The all-weather Atal tunnel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours.

Atal Tunnel

-It is the longest highway tunnel in the world. 

- The strategically important tunnel is 9.02 km long and it connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. 

- The valley was earlier cut off for about six months every year due to heavy snowfall

- The tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3,000 metres (10,000 feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL)

- The south portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 metres, while the north portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.

- It is a horse shoe shaped, single-tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 metres and has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres

- The tunnel, built at a cost of about Rs 3,300 crore, is extremely significant from the point of view of the country's defence

- The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had taken the decision to construct the strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass on June 3, 2000, and the foundation stone for the access road to the south portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002

- Vajpayee got the idea for constructing the tunnel on a suggestion from his friend Arjun Gopal of Tashi Dobhe village in Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur had said.

- The Modi government decided to name the Rohtang Tunnel as Atal Tunnel in December 2019 to honour the former prime minister who had passed away the previous year.