Rohtang tunnel to make Lahaul-Spiti accessible all year round

A good news from Lahaul-Spiti for all the avid travellers who always wanted to visit the destination during winters but couldn’t because of roadblocks caused by heavy snowfall. The project of digging one 8.8 km long tunnel in Rohtang Pass will be completed later this month but it will be made open for travellers only by 2019. Considered as the longest tunnel in India, this one will cut the distance between Manali and Keylong (headquarters of the Lahaul district), by huge 48 km. This tunnel will make it possible for travellers to visit Lahaul and Spiti districts any time of the year. Not only this but the construction of the tunnel will also allow Indian Army an easy access to certain regions close to China and Pakistan.

The project was conceived back in 1983 but was launched only in the year 2010. It was decided that the project would be completed by 2019. The vehicles now won’t have to go through the Rohtang Pass in Himachal Pradesh, giving the districts of Lahaul-Spiti all-weather access. Around 4 m of the tunnel still remains to be excavated, but work is in progress.


According to an engineer of Border Roads Organisation (BRO), around 1 m of the tunnel will be excavated in front of Nirmala Sitharaman, Defence Minister of India on 24th October. The engineer was quoted saying, "Less than 4 m of tunnelling is still to be done. It will take one or two more blasts to achieve the breakthrough, a moment which we are waiting for years.”

This is also a great news for the natives of Lahaul and Spiti valleys as this tunnel will now connect them to the rest of the country even during harsh weather conditions. In fact all the hoteliers and other entrepreneurs are also too excited with the news. Bir Singh, president of Lahaul Hoteliers Association happily said, "We are eagerly waiting for the moment when we shall drive across the tunnel." It’s an important step that will definitely boost tourism in this region.