India's newly-built over nine km long Atal Tunnel has officially been certified by the World Book of Records, as the 'World's Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet', said the Ministry of Defence.

Atal Tunnel - named after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee - was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020. The 9.02 km long, strategically significant, Atal Tunnel, that runs under the Rohtang Pass, was constructed on the Manali-Leh Highway under the challenging conditions of freezing temperatures in extremely difficult terrain.

Prior to the construction of the tunnel, the highway remained closed during the winter season for six months, isolating Lahaul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh from the rest of India.

Construction of this tunnel has provided all-weather connectivity on the strategic Manali - Leh axis and reduced travel time to Ladakh - in the news because of a military standoff on the Line of Actual Control with China after a bloody clash in June 2020 - by several hours, officials stated.. The cost of the entire project - said to be an engineering marvel - was estimated to be Rs 3,200 crore (about USD 440 million).[

Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, Director General of Border Roads Organisation (DGBR) received the award for the stupendous achievement of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in constructing this engineering marvel connecting Manali to the Lahaul-Spiti Valley.  The place is famous among young tourists for its high-altitude trek trails and rich Tibetan-influenced culture in a very scenic landscape.

World Book of Records UK, is an organisation that catalogues and verifies extraordinary records across the world with authentic certification.

(SAM)