Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who travelled from the South Portal of Atal Tunnel in Rohtang to the North Portal in Sissu of Lahaul Valley after its inauguration on Saturday, said it is a historic day for the residents of the area as they will benefit in many ways.

“With the construction of Atal Tunnel, the farmers of Lahaul-Spiti and Pangi, people associated with horticulture, cattle-rearers, students and traders will benefit,” he said during his address in Sissu. He also said the tunnel “will connect the youth of this entire region with many employment opportunities.”

“Tunnel will help provide new markets for handicrafts, other products from Himachal’s Lahaul-Spiti region,” he also said.

Further lauding the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for the construction of the tunnel, PM Modi said, “Transformation has been brought in governance and the policies are no more based on votes. But they are aimed at development of all.”

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“Our government is committed to giving basic amenities to all sections of the society,” he also said.

Named after former prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Atal tunnel has been built at the altitude of 3,000 metres from the mean sea level. The tunnel reduces the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46km.

It has been built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal Range of the Himalayas. It will remain open throughout the year as opposed to the valley being cut off for about six months every year amid heavy snowfall.

The single tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 metres and an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres is horse-shoe shaped and has been designed for a traffic density of 3,000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with a maximum speed of 80 km/hr, according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office.