Lahaulites forcibly enter Rohtang tunnel

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, November 20

Desperately seeking access since this morning, residents of Lahaul-Spiti entered the Rohtang tunnel from North Portal, Lahaul side, late on Monday evening to cross and reach the South Portal on foot.

However, after entering the tunnel, many of them fell unconscious, prompting the administration of Lahaul-Spiti to rescue them.

According to sources, nearly 80 persons, including women and children, were urging the BRO, Rohtang tunnel authority, to give access to the tunnel to cross it and move towards Manali from the Lahaul side. However, the tunnel authorities did not allow them to cross the tunnel.

Irked over the hard stance of the authorities, all of them forcibly entered the tunnel. They had covered only a 3-km stretch of the 8.8-km-long tunnel when due to the lack of adequate oxygen, many of them felt suffocated and fell unconscious.

Ramdasi, a native of Lahaul, who fell unconscious, was taken to a Manali hospital, while the remaining were taken back to Lahaul. The BRO informed the Lahaul-Spiti administration and its officials rushed to the spot for the rescue operation.

Confirming the report, the SDM, Keylong, said, “The BRO informed us that nearly 80 residents of Lahaul-Spiti, including women and children, had entered the tunnel without permission.”

“We have brought all people back to Lahaul, while one patient was taken to a Manali hospital,” he said.

Since the closure of the Rohtang Pass for traffic movement in view of heavy snowfall on November 12, people of Lahaul Spiti, being cut off from the rest of the state, were keen to cross the tunnel and move towards Manali.

The authorities say that the access via the Rohtang tunnel between Lahaul and Kullu is allowed only in emergency cases.

The residents had been urging the state government to ask the BRO authorities to clear the Rohtang Pass, the gateway to Lahaul, for traffic because the snow is less in the region. However, the BRO was reluctant to restore the Pass for vehicular movement movement.

As the Rohtang tunnel is under-construction, the BRO authorities are reluctant to give permission forregular movement, which they say will hamper the construction work.