CHANDIGARH: Amid a sharp rise in vehicular traffic, a safety audit of the strategically important Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway will be carried out by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) on June 2 for the first time ever, as traffic during peak tourist seasons has been exceeding the tunnel’s designed capacity.
There has been a sharp rise in tourist inflow to Himachal Pradesh during the ongoing tourist season. Official traffic data recorded between May 11 and May 17 showed that 24,051 vehicles entered through the tunnel and 21,715 exited, indicating an unprecedented surge in tourist and local movement towards the Lahaul-Spiti valley.
Meanwhile, thousands of vehicles crossed the tunnel every week between March 30 and May 17. Between March 30 and April 5, 19,120 vehicles entered and 17,549 exited the tunnel. Vehicular movement steadily increased in the following weeks, with more than 23,651 vehicles entering the tunnel between April 27 and May 3. The trend has continued since then.
The tunnel was designed to handle a daily traffic density of around 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks. However, during peak tourist seasons, traffic often exceeds this limit, with single-day vehicular movement reportedly crossing 7,500 to 10,000 vehicles within 24 hours.
Sources said that taking note of public safety concerns and increasing vehicular pressure, the Lahaul and Spiti district administration recently urged the Kullu district administration to conduct a detailed safety audit of the tunnel. Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti, Kiran Bhadana, wrote to Kullu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Chander Sharma in this regard.
It is learnt that the Kullu district administration wants to assess whether additional preventive measures are required to ensure commuter safety during the peak tourism season. The concern is particularly significant as no comprehensive safety audit of the tunnel has been conducted so far.
Confirming the development, Anurag Chander Sharma said, “For the first time ever, a safety audit of the Atal Tunnel will be carried out by the BRO on June 2, as it maintains this highway. The Deputy Commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti has highlighted the urgent need for the audit, especially in view of the growing vehicular flow due to the tourist influx, which is exceeding the tunnel’s actual carrying capacity. It is a joint exercise by both district administrations.”
“Once the safety audit is completed and the report is submitted by the BRO, we will examine what additional measures can be taken to manage the traffic influx during both winter and summer seasons. The detailed findings will be shared after completion of the process,” he added.
The 9.02-km-long tunnel, named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 2, 2020. It is considered one of the world’s longest highway tunnels above 10,000 feet. The tunnel connects Manali with Keylong, bypassing the snowbound Rohtang Pass and significantly reducing travel time between Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts.
The tunnel carries two lanes of National Highway-3 and serves as a lifeline for the region.
The administration has appealed to tourists and locals to strictly follow traffic regulations and cooperate with officials to ensure smooth and safe movement through the tunnel during the busy tourist season.
