Rohtang tunnel gets quiet opening amid poll din
SHIMLA: With the poll code being put in place in Himachal Pradesh, the 8.8-km long Rohtang tunnel got a quiet opening on Friday.
Far from the din, villagers of Lahaul and Spiti district celebrated the breakthrough in a religious way by gathering at Sissu, the north portal of the tunnel. The district, which remains cut off for six months a year, will be open to traffic for the first time this winter.
Rejoicing what they described a freedom from the remoteness, the locals cele- brated Lahaul Utsav as the head abbot lit a small lamp at the Key monastery. Tulku Lochen Lama, the head abbot of Key monastery, told HT, “It is a dream come true for us. There is no end to people’s happiness today.”
The function was organised by Rohtang Tunnel Ayojan Samiti, an apolitical front of the locals.
In the wake of the election code of conduct being put in place, locals managed to keep the celebrations non-political even as leaders attempted to derive political mileage and take credit for the tunnel.
“We allowed the gathering at the helipad as it was a nonpolitical function,” said Dewa Singh Negi, deputy commissioner of Lahaul and Spiti regions.
To avoid controversy, officials of the border road organisation (BRO), the key agency undertaking the construction of the tunnel, did not participate in the function.