Spirit of national pride paramount for building structure like Atal tunnel: Rajnath

A spirit of national pride is of paramount importance for building a great structure like Atal tunnel, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.

The strategically important 9.02-km tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3 last year.

''For building such a great structure like Atal Tunnel not just bricks and mortar but the spirit of the national pride is of paramount importance,'' the minister said at a webinar on Atal Tunnel, according to a statement of the Defence Ministry.

The webinar was organised by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) for the benefit of IITs, NITs and other technical institutions.

In his speech, Singh appreciated BRO engineers for building this engineering marvel despite many technical challenges amid COVID-19 restrictions.