With the aim to cut short the time for military convoy going towards the forward base near the China border, Border Roads Organization (BRO) is constructing a 500-metre long all-weather tunnel near Nechiphu pass in Arunachal Pradesh.
The tunnel is being constructed under Project Vartak between km 82.00 and km 88.00 along Balipara Tawang Road at an altitude of 5,600 feet. Anant Kumar Singh, the executive engineer of Project Vartak of BRO, said that the Nechipu tunnel is going to cut short travel distance by 6 KM and travel time by 20 minutes. “A thousand vehicles are passing on a daily basis and by this, we will cut short carbon footprint and will improve the ecology of this area. It will work towards the sustainable development goal set by the Government of India. Tunnel conceived to bypass extreme foggy conditions prevailing near Nachipu pass. The area remains foggy, slide prone and challenging for traffic which will be eliminated after construction of this tunnel,” Singh said. He further said that the tunnel once completed, will allow passing of all types of artillery movement and civic movement. Construction of the tunnel is being accomplished by cutting through fragile Himalayan mountains with highly fractured rock under low overburden. The same is being tackled on daily basis through strict 3D monitoring and through the proactive application of desired tunnel support system. The new Austrian tunnelling method is being used to achieve construction at a fast pace. The tunnel will be provided with an electro-mechanical system including firefighting devices, an auto illumination system and SCADA controlled monitoring systems.
The tunnel will also accommodate raised footpaths on both sides for safer pedestrian movement which will have ducts to pass Power cables, OFC cables and utility lines to strengthen the civic amenities infrastructure.