The newly built Atal Tunnel has all these safety highlights to ensure a proper travel experience for the people. Check it out.
The new Atal Tunnel was inaugurated last week and since then it has been in news. In the first 24 hours itself, there were three major accidents reported. Also, a lot of people were challaned for overspeeding and taking selfies in midst of the tunnel or at the start. Following which, the government has added more safety measures to ensure a safe passage of travellers through the tunnel.
The speed limit for the Atal Tunnel has been set at 80 km/hr and there will be strict surveillance of it. In the first couple of days, the traffic police found people going as high as 130 to 150 km/hr. The 9.02 kilometre long tunnel has many sharp curves and is around 10,000 feet above the sea level. For some kilometres, you actually have the valley on your side.
Also Read: Atal Tunnel – Three Accidents in First Three Days Already!
The tunnel has been designed for a regular traffic of 3000 trucks and 1500 cars per day. It gets a semi-transverse ventilation system which allows ample air circulation inside the tunnel. A 2.25 m tall and 3.6 m wide emergency tunnel has also been constructed for safe passage incase of any evacuation process or disaster. Further, there are telephone facility on every 150 metres.
Other measures include fire hydrant on every 60 metres, emergency exit on every 500 metres, air quality monitoring on every one km, broadcasting system and automatic incident detection system with CCTV cameras on every 250 metres. Also, in several kilometres 24X7 policemen will be present who will assist any person in trouble and will also monitor the speeding and dangerous driving.
The Atal Tunnel is exactly situated in Rohtang and cuts the distance between Manali and Leh down by 5-6 hours and 46 kilometres. Many people have already started visiting it and getting an experience from it. It gets an all-weather system so it will be safe to visit this tunnel even during heavy snow or heavy rains. The distance to Atal Tunnel from Delhi is 581 kilometres, taking about 14-15 hours of drive.
