Engineering Marvel

Nishikant Khajuria
With its  formal inauguration  by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2, the  Chenani-Nashri tunnel     is being  thrown  open ( from       April 3 morning)  for the commuters,     who are eagerly waiting for a       rendezvous with this world class state of art engineering marvel, a fully automatic smart system control tunnel with no human intervention for the technical operation.
Driving through  this 9.2 km long world class tunnel gives a  feeling of  being part of developed world to  which India is stepping in with its technical know how and skilled manpower.  The work on the twin-tube tunnel, which is part of National Highway Authority of India’s (NHAI’s) 286-km-long Jammu-Srinagar National Highway NH-44 (Old NH1A) four-lanning project, started on May 23, 2011 and its ninety percent work was completed by Indian construction companies despite initial start by foreign multi-national Leighton Contractors Pvt Ltd. The Project Developer IL&FS Transport Network Pvt Ltd has been assigned the task to look after maintenance of this tunnel for the next 15 years.
This is Asia’s first and longest bi-directional highway tunnel, which is located at an altitude of 1,200 meters (nearly 4,000 feet) in difficult Himalayan terrain. It took more than five years for the different construction companies to complete it. In total 19 km long excavation was done for main tunnel, escape tunnel and cross passage while 65 lakh cement bags and 12 lakh ton steel was used in the construction work, for which approximately 1200 persons remained engaged in each shift daily
Bypassing snow and landslide prone Kud, Patnitop and Batote, this tunnel shortens the road distance from Chenani to Nashri by 30 kms thus reducing the travel time on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway by about 2 hours besides saving fuel worth Rs 27 lakh per day.
Smart  features  like Integrated Traffic Control System (ITCS), Video surveillance through 140 CCTVs, wireless communication and FM broadcast system,  Entrance Detection Control,   Electrical Fire signalling, Active Fire Fighting,  Tunnel Ventilation, Evacuative Broadcast system  and SOS call boxes make it most intelligent  tunnel of the world.
Protected with a world class security set up, the tunnel has unprecedented safety features, particularly the escape tube that runs parallel to main traffic tube. The main traffic tunnel has 9.35 meters carriageway and 5 meters vertical clearance with 1.30 m walkway on either side while the parallel escape tunnel has 5 m carriageway and 2.5 m vertical clearance. Both the tunnels are connected by 29 cross passages at every 300 meters along the entire length of the tunnel. These cross passages, 7 m wide and 2.5 m vertical clearance, will be used to evacuate a user who might be in distress, or to tow away a vehicle that might have broken down.  CCTV cameras and a linear heat detection system inside the tunnel will alert an Integrated Tunnel Control Room (ITCR) located outside to monitor and intervene, if necessary. With the help of cross passages and through public address system,  the evacuation of humans in case of any incident inside the main tunnel will be done by the Route Patrolling Officers within 90 seconds while in the second phase, the situation will be diffused in the next 90 seconds thus finishing the entire operation within three-four minutes and confining the incident within 100 meters.
SOS call boxes, installed at every 150 m inside the main traffic tunnel,  act as emergency hotlines for commuters in distress. To connect to the ITCR to seek help, one would only need to open the door of the SOS cabin and say ‘Hello’.  These SOS boxes are also equipped with first-aid facility and some essential medicines. In case of breathlessness or other discomfort, or in case of breakdown of a vehicle, the commuter is expected to enter the SOS cabin and inform the ITCR, which will immediately rush an ambulance or crane through the parallel escape tunnel  from the nearest crossway for necessary action.
With inlets every 8 meters bringing fresh air into the main tube, and exhaust outlets every 100 meter, the fully transverse ventilation system of the tunnel is first of its kind in India. In case of increased Carbon Mono-oxide and opacity level inside the tunnel, the sensors  automatically restore the ventilation system by opening fresh air and exhaust windows in the particular area.  In case of fire incident, sensors detect heat and  a safety protocol activates which allows only exhaust to function and stops  fresh air. Exhaust fans will push the smoke upward while ambulances carrying foam will rush through the escape tunnel to evacuate victims and fight the fire.
In the tunnel, the commuters will also be able to use their mobile phones with  BSNL, Airtel and Idea connections. Besides, FM Rebroadcast system guides the commuters and also warns against throwing anything inside the tunnel.
Another excellent aspect of this engineering marvel is that despite having been excavated in a difficult Himalayan region, both the tunnels (Main as well as Escape)  are 100 percent waterproof. There is e no seepage of water from the ceilings or any of the walls of the tunnels.
Even as the vehicles will have to pay for passing through this tunnel, the commuters will   not be at economic loss vis-a vis the gains of fuel and time saving.   Cars will have to pay a toll of Rs 55 for one- way journey,  Rs 85 for to-and-fro  and Rs 1,870 for a monthly pass, while bigger vehicles like pick-up and small buses will have to pay Rs 90 for one-way and Rs 135 for to-and-fro. Buses and trucks will be charged Rs 190 for a single journey and Rs 285 for return. However, on the other hand, only one fourth of the fuel will be used now for covering the distance from Chenani to Nashri and vice-versa.
Further, the tunnel is all set to have  multiple economic gains as better connectivity with  the remote area in erstwhile Doda district will  help transform the life of this neglected region.  Besides, ecology and environment, this tunnel is also going to boost tourism of the region. Reduction in traffic on bypassed 41 km stretch of the old road will encourage tourists to visit Patnitop and its adjoining picturesque areas. Moreover, this state of art world class tunnel is itself a major attraction for the local tourists, who will surely love to have voyage through it for a pleasure.

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