Sela tunnel to help boost army's posture near China border

The upcoming inauguration of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, exactly five years after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in February 2019, signals a monumental enhancement in the army's logistical prowess in the strategic Tawang sector where Indian soldiers hold posts close to the contested border with China, said Lieutenant General Harpal Singh (retd), who oversaw critical phases of the project as the head of the Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

- Rahul Singh

Modi is soon expected to inaugurate the tunnel, the world's longest twin-lane tunnel above 13,000 feet, officials aware of the matter said on Monday. It will allow faster deployment of weapons, soldiers and equipment to forward areas near the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the officials added.

The tunnel has been constructed at a cost of 2700 crore on the Balipara-Charduar-Ta-wang road. "It will offer a fortified, expeditious, and dependable conduit for troop mobilisation, equipment conveyance, and vital supplies distribution," said Singh, who was BRO's director general during 2018-20.

The project is significant as winter connectivity to Tawang over the 14,000-foot pass, Sela, posed a logistics challenge for the army for decades, with the movement of men, weapons and stores severely affected for three to four months every year. The tunnel will cut travel time to Tawang by at least one hour as well as provide all-weather connectivity.