Himachal: Record 12.7 lakh vehicles cross Atal Tunnel in 2022

More than three years after the strategic Atal Tunnel Rohtang (ATR) was inaugurated, the proposal to set up police stations on both portals - North and South- of the tunnel to manage traffic and any eventualities are hanging fire due to lack of government initiative.

In 2022 the craze for the tunnel hit another peak with a record 60% increase in the number of vehicles entering and exiting the tunnel.

As many as 6,22,988 vehicles entered Lahaul & Spiti through ATR, and around 6,50,711 vehicles exited, which amounts to 12,73,699 vehicles during 2022.

According to the police records, the maximum monthly traffic was registered in June, December and May (in descending order) at 2,25045, 2,02,974 and 2,11,824, respectively. The maximum number of traffic recorded for a single day was on December 26, 2022, which was 19,383. This is also the highest number for any day since ATR was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020.

It is far more than the traffic transit through ATR in the year 2021, which was around 3,76,870 vehicles that entered the district and around 4,23,071 vehicles exited, taking the total number to 7,99,941.

The administration had anticipated the rush, and in 2020 director general of police Sanjay Kundu constituted a five-member committee to suggest measures for the tunnel’s security. Headed by the inspector general of police, security and intelligence, Daljit Singh Thakur, the committee comprises the deputy inspector general of police, central range, Madhusudhan; superintendent of police, Kullu, Gaurav Singh, superintendent of police, Lahaul and Spiti, Rajesh Dharmani; and a representative of the intelligence bureau. The members of the committee visited Jawahar Tunnel in Banihal and the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Tunnel at Chenani-Nashri to study the security set-up adopted by the Jammu and Kashmir Police. Besides police stations on both portals, the committee also proposed multipurpose barriers at Solang, 14 km down the South Portal at Dhundhi, and at Teling, close to the North Portal in Sissu.

A total of 16 days in 2022 saw traffic of over 10,000 crossing the tunnel, with December having six such days. The district has faced a huge traffic influx since the opening of Atal Tunnel Rohtang, which is increasing day by day gradually.

“District Lahaul and Spiti have been up to the task and have worked around the year to regulate traffic smoothly without any laxity. In the upcoming year, the Lahaul and Spiti Police is ready to welcome more visitors to the district with full dedication and utmost professional outlook,” said Manav Verma, superintendent of the police.

The 5-member committee has also asked the government to make budgetary provisions for two police stations, one at the North Portal that will be supervised by the Lahaul and Spiti police, and the other at Dhundhi at the South Portal under the jurisdiction of the Kullu police.

It was suggested that both the police stations will have 45 personnel each to monitor security and deal with law and order. They will be provided with two police control room (PCR) vans to manage traffic inside the tunnel. However, the proposal for setting up the police station is still hanging fire as the finance department did not clear it.

“With over 1.27 lakh vehicles crossing in 2022, Atal Tunnel Rohtang has become the strategic and tourist nerve centre of Himachal Pradesh. Therefore, to handle such traffic and crowd, the need for a police station close to the North Portal and the South Portal cannot be overemphasized” said DGP Kundu.

The five-member team also studied safety practices followed in tunnels in the Swiss Alps, China, Japan and Pakistan.

The ATR is 25km from Manali and located at an altitude of 3,060 meters, while the North Portal, near Teling, is situated at 3,071 meters.