Atal Tunnel Has Made Life Easy For People Of Lahaul-Spiti In Himachal Pradesh But Environmental Concerns Galore
The Tunnel provides access by road to the Lahaul-Spiti district all year round now.
Published : November 13, 2025 at 7:37 PM IST
Kullu: The construction of the Atal Tunnel has significantly changed the lives of the people of the Lahaul - Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh. With the snow blocking the Rohtang pass in the winters, this district used to become inaccessible by road. The Atal Tunnel has ensured the year round connectivity and the people do not have to migrate to Manali and the south any more.
The tunnel's construction has not only spurred development in the Lahaul Valley but has also made life easier.
Before the tunnel was built, the residents had to store six months’ rations and endured a life trapped in snow from October to March. If someone fell ill, they had to rely on the helicopter service to transport the sick to the hospital. These things are now past.
One of the locals, Ratan Katoch said, “ Earlier people had to stock essentials like clothes, medicines, wood, rations and animal fodder as early as October. Some people would migrate from the Lahaul valley to Manali or Kullu to be able to receive timely help in case of an emergency or illness. During the winters, the patients in the Lahaul valley received delayed medical help as the only way to move out was by helicopter. Sometimes, the patients even lost their lives due to the helicopter not arriving on time. Now, the helicopters are needed much less and the ration needs to be stored only for two to three months and some people don't even need to do that."
There was a time when the people were compelled to cross the 14,000 feet high Rohtang Pass on foot, quite often carrying the sick. "We too have crossed the Rohtang Pass on foot many times in our lives. The most difficult time was when someone fell ill and even the helicopters could not reach here because of the snow. So, the villagers would come together and carry the patient on their backs across the Rohtang Pass to reach Manali,” Katoch recalled.
With the completion of the Atal Tunnel, the migration from the Lahaul valley has stopped and even the presence of doctors has increased in the Lahaul valley. Besides, the Tunnel has made transporting patients to Kullu easier.
The Lahaul valley in Lahaul - Spiti district comprises 16 panchayats and is home to a population of approximately 18,000 people. Before the Atal Tunnel was built, over 60% of the population migrated to Kullu in the winters. Some families remained back to care for livestock, the sick and the elderly that could not be transported to Manali via Rohtang. The Tunnel's construction has eliminated these problems.
Earlier, during the snowfall, bus services and small vehicles from Manali to Lahaul and Spiti would be suspended and the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation's Keylong depot would be relocated to Manali. The supply of petrol, diesel and other goods would also come to a complete halt. The entire area would be cut off from the rest of the country. Even after the construction of the Tunnel, the bus services remain suspended during the snowfall but small vehicles continue to travel from Manali to Lahaul or Keylong. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) restores road connectivity to Keylong within two to three days after snowfall.
Katoch further added, "Vehicles now operate here all year round. Occasionally, petrol and diesel vehicles are also sent to the Lahaul valley.”
The construction of the Atal Tunnel has also made travel to the Lahaul valley easier and more convenient. The distance from Manali has been reduced and saves time. Previously, it took six hours to reach Sissu in Lahaul from Manali. But now, one can reach there in 45 minutes only.
Similarly, the journey to Keylong, the district headquarters, has come down to just one and a half hours from eight hours earlier.
This has given a boost to tourism while providing employment to the locals. The number of tourists visiting the area has seen a rapid increase. Tourism Department figures say that while 1.72 lakh tourists visited Lahaul and Spiti in 2018, their number jumped to 10.55 lakh in 2024. Meanwhile, the access to places like Darcha, Sissu, Koksar, Zanskar and Shinkula has also become much easier.
The Tunnel has also helped in transportation of the agricultural produce from the area. Local resident Sher Singh pointed out, “The farmers here have benefited the most from the Tunnel's construction as their crops are no longer stuck in the traffic jams at the Rohtang Pass. The traders from the other states are now reaching the Lahaul valley and people are receiving good prices for their crops. We can sell our produce anywhere at any time. Earlier, we used to sell our produce before winter arrived."
He further pointed out, “Earlier, there was no electricity or telephones. The people would make their own stretchers and carry patients on their backs to Kullu. Ambulances used to be stuck in traffic jams for hours at the Rohtang Pass. But now they can easily get through and traffic jams are no longer a problem."
The Rohtang Pass was also a venue of several accidents, snow storms and tourists getting stuck. The Tunnel has solved those problems.
Although life in the entire Lahaul valley has changed since the construction of the Tunnel, things remain the same for the people of Koksar, Dinphuk, and Ramthang villages in the Koksar Panchayat that is located about 16 km from the Rohtang Pass. They still leave their villages and head for Kullu from December to March. The residents here also refrain from animal husbandry.
The Koksar village has 46 houses and a population of approximately 350. The residents have also built homes in the Kullu-Manali area. While 80% own their homes, the remaining 20% either stay with relatives or rent rooms during their winter migration.
Katoch related, "Before the Atal Tunnel was built, the people of Koksar, Dinphuk, and Ramthang villages used to migrate in October. But now they head to Manali or Kullu in November or December before the snowfall. These villages are only 5 km from the Atal Tunnel but they experience heavy snowfall. Due to the large glacier, the road from Koksar to the Atal Tunnel is difficult to open. Work begins only after the snowfall ends or subsides. From December to February, this region is completely cut off from the rest of the country. The people still migrate out of compulsion although the migration period has reduced."
While the Tunnel has made life easier in the Lahaul valley, there is flip side to it as well. Increased tourist flow is resulting in litter and vehicular pollution in the ecologically fragile area. Pointing out the delay in snowfall, Sher Singh shared, “The movement of people is also affecting the environment. In the future, the government will have to address this issue and prevent the Lahaul valley from becoming a concrete jungle. Vehicles and tourism activities should be stopped for two months to preserve the valley's environment and ecosystem."
The Atal Tunnel is designed to carry 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks per day. The maximum vehicle speed allowed here is 80 km per hour. The decision to build it was taken by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee led central government and the foundation stone for the approach road at the tunnel's southern portal was laid on May 26, 2002. In 2010, Sonia Gandhi laid the foundation stone for the road to be built from Solang Nala to the Atal Tunnel. In October 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Tunnel.
This is a horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, double-lane tunnel that is 9.02 km long with an overhead clearance of 5.525 meters and a width of 10.5 meters. Telephone connections are provided every 150 meters for emergency communication. Fire hydrant systems are installed every 60 meters. There are CCTV cameras at every 250 meters and air quality monitoring systems at every 1 km. The north portal of the tunnel is on the Lahaul and Spiti district side while the south portal is on the Dhundi side which is about 30 km from Manali.
