Sela
This is a collection of articles archived for the excellence of their content. |
Contents |
The tunnel
2021
Oct 14, 2021: The Times of India
From: Oct 14, 2021: The Times of India
From: Oct 14, 2021: The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh presided over the final breakthrough blast of the Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh through a video conference.
The tunnel, located near China border, is expected to give India strategic heft by facilitating faster movement of its troops.
Here are key things to know about the tunnel …
- The tunnel goes through Sela Pass and is expected to cut down the distance to China border through Tawang by 10 km.
- It is located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts of Arunachal.
- The project consists of two tunnels. Tunnel 1 is 980 meters in length while tunnel 2 is a twin tube tunnel which is 1,555 meters in length.
- The tunnel would also cut down the travel time between the Army's 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam and Tawang by at least an hour.
- The Sela tunnel's construction work is expected to be over by June 2022.
- The tunnel would also cut down the travel time between the Army's 4 Corps headquarters at Tezpur in Assam and Tawang by at least an hour.
- The Sela tunnel's construction work is expected to be over by June 2022.
- The tunnel would ensure that National Highway 13, especially the 171-km stretch between Bomdila and Tawang, remains accessible in all weather conditions.
- In 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project. It will cost around Rs 687 crore.
- During the 1962 war, China’s invasion into India progressed swiftly after Sela was overrun by the PLA.
- "It (Sela Tunnel) will not only strengthen security but also connect far-flung areas, making it feasible for the people of West Arunachal to commute. It'll increase tourism & improve economy," DG BRO Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhary told news agency ANI.
(With inputs from agencies)
2024
KNIGHT AND HIS LADY
Sandip Das1, March 9, 2024: The Times of India
From: Sandip Das1, March 9, 2024: The Times of India
The road to Tawang, where Indian and Chinese troops clashed in December 2022, passes through Sela, a mountain pass in Arunachal Pradesh set at almost 14,000 feet. The temperature drops to -20 degrees C sometimes, even diesel freezes, and it snows so heavily that getting through becomes impossible. But now, with the completion of the all-weather Sela Tunnel, Indian Army will have year-round connectivity between Guwahati in Assam and Tawang.
The Sela Tunnel is actually two tunnels – or three if you count the escape tunnel built along the longer of the two main tunnels. The tunnels have been bored through the mountain at 13,116 feet. They will reduce the distance between Tawang and Dirang in Arunachal’s West Kameng district by 12km, saving almost 90 minutes one way. The project is said to be the longest bi-lane (two-lane) tunnel in the world at such altitude. The shorter tube (T1) measures 1003.34m and the longer tube (T2) 1594.90m. Because of T2’s length, a 1584.38m-long but narrower tunnel has been built parallel to it to let users escape if there’s a cave-in.
For the safety of users, the tunnels have a ventilation system, powerful lighting, and firefighting systems. They have the capacity to let 3,000 cars and 2,000 trucks pass daily. They are of strategic importance as they will allow speedy troop deployment along the eastern sector of Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Moving troops, weapons, supplies and heavy machinery to forward areas in winter had become a priority after the Army’s skirmishes with People’s Liberation Army (PLA) between 2020 and 2022. Army has recently ordered Zorawar light tanks for deployment along LAC as the terrain is unsuitable for main battle tanks like T-90, T-72 and Arjun. Zorawar would be able to use such roads for faster deployment along the border.
Border Roads Organisation says Sela Tunnel is among the most challenging infrastructure projects taken up in India. It was made using the new Austrian tunnelling method, and more than 50 engineers and 800 crew worked on it. Work was hit last July after a major cloudburst made approach roads inaccessible. A third-party audit of Sela Tunnel was done after the Silkyara tunnel cave-in in Uttarakhand last November, and now the tunnel is ready for inauguration.
KNIGHT AND HIS LADY
Sela Tunnel is named after Sela Pass, and in modern lore the pass gets its name from the mythical admirer of a legendary Indian soldier.
Some History First
Indian and Chinese armies skirmished around Sela in the 1962 war. In midNovember that year, during the Battle of Nuranang, 4th Garhwal Rifles fended off two Chinese incursions. Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat was part of this contingent.
The Chinese charged again with heavy and accurate fire from a medium machine gun (MMG). Rawat showed immense bravery to seize this gun and bring it back to his position. But before he could enter his trench he was shot in the head, says his Maha Vir Chakra citation.
Name Is Ancient
➤ As per this legend, Sela Pass is named after Rawat’s admirer Sela, but it’s a much older name that occurs in British-era records.
➤ Sir Robert Reid, governor of Assam from 1937 to 1942, mentions Sela Range and Sela Pass in his book, ‘Frontier Areas Bordering on Assam’: “...on the 30th March they crossed the Sela Pass at 14,450 feet over deep snow frozen hard. On the 1st April they reached Tawang…”
...And A Romance ➤ Rifleman Rawat is also the hero of a popular legend in which the 4th Garhwal Rifles decides to retreat but he digs in for a fight with some help from local girls Sela and Nura, who have been supplying the regiment’s chowki with food and water.
➤ Sela, who is in love with Rawat, and Nura help him reload his several .303-calibre bolt action rifles, so that he can fire them rapidly, creating the illusion that the post is manned by many soldiers.
➤ But after 72 hours, a captured supplier tells the Chinese that Rawat alone is manning the Indian position. The enemy charges, and Rawat and Sela are killed while Nura is captured.
➤ In some variations, Rawat shoots himself with his last bullet, in others he is captured and hanged. Nura is captured, tortured and killed while Sela jumps off a cliff.
