An all-weather link to Tawang, how the new Sela Tunnel boosts readiness at China border

With China seeking to claim Tawang as part of larger Tibet, while calling Arunachal Pradesh southern Tibet, India has always kept the region militarily fortified.

The Sela Tunnel will thus be a major boost to India’s operational preparedness along the LAC, aiding quick military mobilisation to the bordering Tawang sector, saving nearly 10 km of road distance, translating into nearly almost an hour of travel time for convoys.

The Sela Tunnel, which was “dedicated to the nation” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday (March 9), is a key border infrastructure project as it connects Guwahati to the strategic Tawang sector round-the-year, thus aiding faster military movement to the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Constructed by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) at an altitude of around 13,000 feet and a cost of Rs 825 crore, the construction of the tunnel was aimed at providing all-weather connectivity to Tawang across Sela Pass on the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) Road, which connects Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh.

Tezpur is the home of the Indian Army’s IV Corps which looks after Assam and western Arunachal Pradesh.

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Credit: BRO

The connectivity at present

At present, two separate routes connect Tezpur and Tawang: Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang (BCT) and Orang-Kalaktang-Shergaon-Rupa-Tenga (OKSRT), which meet at Sela Pass and merge into one route to Tawang.

There are plans to construct two alternate routes to Tawang, one of which is still on the drawing board.

The operational Tezpur to Tawang route has three major passes – Nechiphu, Bomdila and Sela. While the road passing through Bomdila was kept open throughout the year, there were foggy stretches at Nechiphu, and snow at Sela that would cut off Tawang.

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Credit: BRO

Preceded by similar projects earlier

This comes months after the inauguration of the Nechiphu tunnel by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh last September.

Both the tunnels would provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang, bypassing the foggy stretches on Nechiphu and the snow on Sela passes, together cutting down distance by about 15 km, thus aiding faster military deployment to Tawang.

With China seeking to claim Tawang as part of larger Tibet, while calling Arunachal Pradesh southern Tibet, India has always kept the region militarily fortified.

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During the 1962 India-China war, Beijing had captured Tawang within the first few days. Tawang’s historical significance lies in it being the birthplace of the sixth Dalai Lama, making it an important seat of Tibetan Buddhism after Lhasa.

From the military and strategic point of view, Tawang provides geographical access up to the Brahmaputra plains and provides the shortest axis to Tezpur in Assam. The lines of communication from Tawang stretch to Guwahati and the extended Siliguri corridor, amplifying its military importance.

According to the Defence Ministry, the Sela Tunnel has been constructed using the new Austrian tunnelling method and incorporates safety features of the highest standards.

The foundation stone of the tunnel was laid by Modi on February 9, 2019, and construction began on April 1 of the same year.