The Sela Pass tunnel which will provide all-weather connectivity to the Indian Army towards the Line of Actual Control (LAC) near Tawang near the China border is being constructed at 13,000 feet in Arunachal Pradesh.
The construction of the Sela Pass tunnel is being done by Border Roads Organisation (BRO).
Nanda Kishore, an employee associated with the project, said that the tunnel is expected to be completed by July 2023.
“Construction is being done by BRO. It’s expected to be completed by July (2023),” said Kishore.
At present, the Indian Army personnel and people of the area are using Balipara-Chariduar Road to reach Tawang because the connectivity through the Sela Pass route gets affected during the winter due to excessive snowfall. Movement of the vehicles gets restricted.
The Sela Pass tunnel will bypass the existing road and it will connect Baisakhi to Nuranang. The Sela tunnel cuts through the Sela-Charbela ridge, which separates the Tawang district from the West Kameng district. It is located a few kilometres to the west of the Sela Pass.
The tunnel will provide smooth vehicular movement. After completion of the tunnel, the distance will be reduced by about 8-9 km. Two tunnels, including one twin tube, are part of the project. One bi-lane tube in Tunnel 2 is for traffic, and one escape tube is for emergencies. The requirement for an escape passage is only applicable to tunnels longer than 1,500 metres. This infrastructural development in extremely significant in the light of border scuffles between India and China. Recent incidents of Chinese movements along the LAC have increased government’s concerns.