Rohtang tunnel to be accessible to tribals during medical emergencies

Abhinav Vashisht

KULLU, NOVEMBER 26

The residents Lahaul and Spiti district will be allowed to cross the 8.8-km-long Rohtang tunnel in case of medical exigencies. Though the boring work of the tunnel has been completed, construction work is still under way.

Lahaul valley remains cut off during winters due to heavy accumulation of snow on the 13,050-foot Rohtang Pass, gateway to the Lahaul valley on the Manali-Leh National Highway. The only way in and out of the valley during winters is through helicopter services provided by the state government, which again depends upon weather conditions.

Lahaul-Spiti Deputy Commissioner Deva Singh Negi said that Director General, Border Roads (DGBR) Lt Gen Sanjeev Kumar Shrivastava had instructed the Rohtang tunnel authorities to provide passage to medical emergencies through the tunnel after the Rohtang Pass is closed for over five months during winters.

Recently, Mandi MP Ram Swaroop Sharma had met Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to request her to give direction to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authorities to allow traffic via Rohtang tunnel in emergency cases for the convenience of the people living in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti. The Deputy Commissioner said that students appearing in various competitive exams would also be allowed to cross through the tunnel after the Rohtang Pass is completely closed. However, there were limitations as the tunnel construction work was still under progress and the North Portal of the tunnel towards Lahaul was prone to avalanches. He said that passage through the tunnel would be allowed after analyzing various factors.Many vehicles were stuck for over six days on the Lahaul side of Rohtang Pass at Koksar due to the recent snowfall. The BRO cleared the snow and evacuated the stranded vehicles and passengers.

The Deputy Commissioner said that medical board would be formed to provide certificate to medical emergencies to cross the tunnel. The students would be provided permit to cross the tunnel upon producing the required documents. He said that proper care would be taken that the work of BRO is not hampered and safety of the commuters is not compromised.

Generally, the Rohtang Pass is officially closed for traffic after November 15 but vehicles sometimes continue to ply till there is no accumulation of snow and the road is cleared by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). However, the movement of traffic is regulated in view of public safety because due to its high altitude the Pass is prone to sudden heavy snowfall and icing of road, which could pose a serious threat to the lives of commuters.

The Deputy Commissioner said that commuters would be allowed to cross the Rohtang Pass on foot depending upon the weather conditions. Rescue posts had been set up at Marhi on the Manali side and at Koksar on the Lahaul side to assist the commuters to cross the Pass. He said that the DG had also instructed the BRO to maintain road connectivity between Keylong-Darcha, Keylong-Udaipur and Keylong-Sissu stretches.