The final blast for the 980-metre long Sela Tunnel (Tunnel 1) was conducted by Director General of Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry through an e-ceremony from New Delhi on Saturday (22 January).
This event marks the culmination of the excavation works on the complete Sela Tunnel Project. This feat has been achieved by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) amidst inclement weather and heavy snowfall.
The Sela Tunnel Project is located in the West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh. Once completed, it will be a lifeline to provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang. The project comprises Tunnel 1, a 980 m long single tube tunnel, and Tunnel 2, a 1,555 m long twin-tube tunnel.
Tunnel 2 has one bi-lane tube for traffic and one escape tube for emergencies. It will also be one of the longest tunnels constructed above 13,000 feet. The project also includes the construction of an approach road of seven kilometres to Tunnel 1, which takes off from BCT Road and a link road of 1.3 kilometres, which connects Tunnel 1 to Tunnel 2.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel Project in 2019. On 15 January 2021, after the DGBR conducted the first blast, excavation on Tunnel 1 commenced.
On 14 October 2021, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh carried out the breakthrough blast of the 1,555-metre Tunnel 2 through an e-ceremony from India Gate, marking the end of excavation on Tunnel 2.