15-km long ‘Strategic’ Military tunnel to be built below Brahmaputra along China border

Construction of bridges being targeted by enemy forces, Indian Army had suggested building tunnels. The Centre has given in-principle approval to construct a strategic tunnel under the Brahmaputra river, Hindustan Times’ sister publication Hindustan reported. The four-lane tunnel will link Gohpur and Numaligarh towns in Assam.

The construction of the 14.85 km long tunnel is expected to begin by December of this year and will be executed by the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHAIDCL) along with Louis Berger. It will be built in three phases.

The proposed tunnel in India is going to be very important strategically as it will provide year-long connectivity between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh. It will also help in transporting military supplies and ammunition as vehicles will be able to zoom past the tunnel at 80 kmph, Hindustan reported.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHAIDCL) has roped in America’s Louis Berger company; in fact, the central government had approved its detailed project report in March.

This comes amid the tension between India and China along with Line of Actual Control (LAC) after a face-off between the soldiers of the two countries in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. India had lost 20 soldiers in the skirmish; China officially did not announce the number of casualties.

Efforts have been on by both the countries since the June 15 clash to ease tensions. A fourth round of meeting between the Lieutenant Generals of the two countries is scheduled to take place today.