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0 Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the “iconic” Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh’s Rohtang at 10 am on Saturday. The 9 km long Manali-Leh Tunnel is the world’s longest underground highway. Read on to know PM modi’s inauguration ceremony itinerary for today.
HERE’S PM MODI’S INAUGURATION CEREMONY ITINERARY:
9:10 am: PM Modi will arrive in Manali Sasse Helipad on a Mi-17 helicopter
After reaching Manali, PM Modi will head towards Sasse Guest House via road.
9:35 am: PM Modi will depart for South Portal
From 10 am to 11:45 am: The opening ceremony will take place
11:50 am: PM Modi will reach North Portal via the tunnel
From 12 pm to 12:45 pm: PM Modi will hold a public meeting in Sissu
12:50 pm: PM Modi will reach Solanganala and address BJP leaders
Terming the tunnel project as “iconic” on Friday, PM Modi tweeted: “Fulfilling Atal Ji’s dream of top quality infrastructure. Will be in Himachal Pradesh tomorrow to dedicate the Atal Tunnel in Rohtang to the nation. This is an iconic infrastructure project built at a height of 10,000 feet.”
In another tweet, PM Modi said: “The Atal Tunnel will solve a major problem of connectivity in the region. It has several salient features and will further ‘Ease of Living’ for local citizens. Will also join public programmes in Sissu in Lahaul Spiti and at Solang Valley.”
The historic decision to build a strategic tunnel under the Rohtang pass was taken by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in June 2000. The Atal Tunnel is a strategically important construction and is expected to give a major boost to tourism in Lahaul-Spiti, thus creating employment opportunities.
On December 24, 2019, the central government under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi decided to name the Rohtang tunnel as Atal Tunnel to honour the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 95th birth anniversary.