BRO embarks on a series of small tunnels
The Border Road Organisation (BRO) has conducted final “break through blast” to mark the completion of excavation work of the Nechiphu Tunnel at an altitude of 5,700 feet in Arunachal Pradesh.
BRO has also embarked on construction of a series of small tunnels, which it will construct with manpower resources integral to the organisation.
Director General of BRO Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry conducted the break through blast remotely from New Delhi on 20 May 2022 of the 500-metre-long “D-shaped, Single Tube Double Lane Tunnel” on the Balipara-Charduar-Tawang (BCT) Road in West Kameng District.
The foundation stone of project was laid by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on 12 October 2020.
The Nechiphu Tunnel will accommodate two-way traffic and will be equipped with modern lighting and safety facilities. The tunnel has been conceived to bypass extreme foggy conditions prevailing around Nechiphu Pass which have caused hindrance to general traffic and military convoys for decades.
The tunnel will have a state-of-the-art electro-mechanical system including firefighting devices, auto illumination system and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) controlled monitoring systems.
It will also accommodate raised footpaths on both sides for safer pedestrian movement as well as ducts for Power cables, optical fibre cables and utility lines to strengthen the civic amenities infrastructure.
In tandem with the Nechiphu Tunnel project, excavation work at the Project Vartak has also completed by BRO for the Twin Tube (1,555 meter and 980 meter) “Sela Tunnel Project” on the same road on 22 January 2022.
“Today’s blast marks the cumulative excavation of more than 4,500 meters, achieved by BRO Karmyogis in less than two years,” said the Defence Ministry.
Once in service, the Nechiphu Tunnel along with the Sela Tunnel will provide all weather strategic connectivity on the BCT Road while reducing the carbon foot print in this eco-sensitive area.
The ongoing tunnel construction is being accomplished by cutting through fragile and highly fractured rock strata.
Challenges on the project are being tackled on daily basis through strict 3D monitoring and through proactive application of desired tunnel support systems in accordance with the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).
The BRO has been consistently achieving success in execution of infrastructural marvels in the most challenging areas of the nation over the last two years.
It has taken up tunnelling in a big way with successful completion of High Altitude and Mountainous tunnels. In addition to the Atal Tunnel and Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh, the Chamba Tunnel in Uttarakhand has also been dedicated to the Nation. fiinews.com
