6-km tunnel in Uttarakhand to bring last outpost on China border closer

A six-kilometre-long tunnel will be constructed between Bundi and Garbiyang on the Ghatiabagar-Lipulekh road in Uttarakhand to make the way to the last border post of the Lipulekh pass on the India-China border smoother, a senior BRO official said on Tuesday.

"The contract for the survey work of the tunnel has been awarded to ATINOK India Consultants. The company has started the survey work and will submit its final proposal in a year's time," chief engineer of the project Hirak Vimal Goswami said.

The Rs 2,000-crore project could begin in four-five years, he added.

"The BRO has kept the border road from Bundi to Garbiyang single lane in view of the proposed tunnel, while the rest of it is going to be double lane," Goswami said.

According to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) officer, the border road that was commissioned in 2020 is being black-topped and double-laned these days.

Most of the double-laning work has nearly been completed, he said.

Only the formation-cutting work on the five-km-long last portion of the road from the KMVN huts to the Lipulekh pass is awaiting permission. It could be completed in 100 days, once the Central Command headquarters gives its permission, the officer said.