Sela Tunnel: Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the strategically significant Sela Tunnel project during his day-long visit to Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday. Built with a total cost of Rs 825 crore, the tunnel project is constructed at an altitude of 13,700 feet in West Kameng district on the road connecting Tezpur to Tawang. The foundation stone of the project was laid by PM Modi in February 2019.
Done by the Border Road Organisation, the Sela project consists of two tunnels and a link road. Tunnel 1 will be 980-metre long single-tube, Tunnel 2 will be 1,555-metre with one bi-lane tube for traffic and one emergency services. The link road between the two tunnels will be 1,200 meters long.
The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to the Tawang region — long contested by China which describes it as a part of the ancient territory. Sela Pass stays closed for a few winter months. In 1962, Chinese troops had clashed with Indian forces in the region, and significantly, Tawang town was overrun on October 24 that year.
The tunnel will enhance the Indian army's capabilities at the LAC by ensuing speedy deployment of troops, weapons and machinery to the forward areas along the Sino-India border.
The foundation of the project was laid by Modi in February 2019, with a cost estimation of Rs 697 crore, but work got delayed due to various reasons, including the COVID-19 pandemic.