World's longest twin-lane Sela tunnel in Arunachal inaugurated by PM Modi
Guwahati, Mar 9: The world's longest twin-lane Sela tunnel, at an elevation of 13,000 ft in Arunachal Pradesh, was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.
The tunnel, constructed at a cost of Rs 825 crore by the Border Roads Organisation, is strategically crucial as it is close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), a BRO official said, adding that it would provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang.
The project comprises two tunnels, with the first one being a single-tube tunnel of 1,003 metres in length and the second being 1,595-metre-long, with an escape tube for emergencies. It has 8.6 km-long approach and link roads.
The escape tube, constructed parallel to the main one, is connected with cross passages every 500 m, the BRO official said.
In case of emergency, this escape tube can be used for the movement of rescue vehicles and evacuation of stranded people.
The tunnel has been designed for a traffic density of 3,000 cars and 2,000 trucks per day with a maximum speed of 80 km per hour.
The project was necessitated as the Balipara-Chariduar-Tawang road often remains closed due to snow and landslides caused by heavy rainfall in the area.
The foundation stone for the Sela tunnel project was laid by the prime minister on February 9, 2019, and the construction work commenced on April 1 of that year.
"Sela Tunnel's inauguration is a moment of great pride for us. When I had laid the foundation stone for it a few years ago, some people were unsure that this project will be completed soon because the work culture that prevailed for several decades normalised delays.
"But, the NDA government works with a different approach and the tunnel has been inaugurated, giving you all yet another reason to visit Arunachal Pradesh," the prime minister wrote on X.
Earlier the route to Sela Pass had only a single-lane connectivity and treacherous bends due to which heavy vehicles and container trucks could not go to Tawang, the BRO official said.
The Sela tunnel has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM).
The execution of the mega project took over 90 lakh man-hours with an average of around 650 personnel and labourers working every day for the last five years.
Altogether 71,000 metric tonnes of cement, 5,000 metric tonnes of steel and 800 metric tonnes of explosives were used for the construction of the project.
Of the five years it took to complete the project, approximately 762 days had high snowfall or rainfall and 832 days had temperatures below 0 C, creating immense challenges for the personnel executing the work, he said.
The BRO was also engaged in constructing the 7,100-metre approach road to tunnel I, the 340-metre-long approach lane to the tunnel II and the 1,340-m-long road between the two tunnels, the official said.
When the tunnel was constructed and in its final phases of installations, a major cloudburst took place in the higher ridges in July last year, delaying the construction of the approach roads and thereby, completion of the project, he said.
The project is also aimed at enhancing the army's capabilities at the LAC and will ensure speedy deployment of troops, weapons and machinery to the forward areas along the Indo-China border, the BRO official said.
It will not only boost the defence preparedness of the Indian armed forces in the Tawang Sector but will also augment the socio-economic development of the border areas, he said.
The project will "ensure all-weather connectivity to Tawang and forward areas bypassing the Sela top which will not only facilitate smoother movement of troops and supplies but also reinforces our defence capabilities in the region", the official added.
🚨 PM Narendra Modi has inaugurated the strategically significant Sela Tunnel project, constructed at an altitude of 13,700 feet in Arunachal Pradesh. pic.twitter.com/WtQdx1z48o
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India-UK clinches trade deal; duty cut on British whisky, cars
boost to garment, leather goods exports
New Delhi/London, May 6 (PTI): India and the UK clinched a 'landmark' trade deal that will remove taxes on the export of labour-intensive products such as leather, footwear and clothing, while making imports of whisky and cars from Britain cheaper, in a bid to double trade between the two economies to USD 120 billion by 2030.
The world's fifth and sixth-largest economies concluded the deal after three years of on-off negotiations.
The pact lowers tariffs on 99 per cent of Indian goods to zero in the UK market while allowing Indian workers to travel to the UK for work without changing Britain's point-based immigration system.
Taxes on export of Indian clothing, frozen prawns, jewellery and gems will be cut.
And so will be the import of whisky and gin from the UK after the treaty halved the tariff to 75 per cent initially and to 40 per cent by the 10th year.
Tariffs on automotive imports will go from over 100 per cent to 10 per cent under quotas on both sides, benefiting companies such as Tata-JLR.
Indian goods that will enter the UK at zero duty include minerals, chemicals, gems and jewellery, plastic, rubber, wood, paper, textile, clothing, glass, ceramic, base metals, mechanical and electrical machinery, arms/ammunition, transport/auto, furniture, sports goods, animal products, and processed food.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the pact as a "landmark" that will "make working people and businesses better off in both our countries."
Calling the pact "a historic milestone," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the successful conclusion of an ambitious and mutually beneficial Free Trade Agreement, along with a Double Contribution Convention "will further deepen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and catalyse trade, investment, growth, job creation, and innovation in both our economies".
The two have also concluded the negotiations for the Double Contribution Convention Agreement, or social security pact. It would help avoid double contribution to social security funds by Indian professionals working for a limited period in Britain.
"The exemption for Indian workers who are temporarily in the UK and their employers from paying social security contributions in the UK for a period of three years under the Double Contribution Convention will lead to significant financial gains for the Indian service providers," the commerce ministry said.
It added that this pact will enhance competitiveness of domestic professionals in the UK market that would create new job opportunities as well as benefit a large number of Indians working in the UK.
However, the talks for the bilateral investment treaty (BIT) are still going on. Earlier, there were plans to conclude all three simultaneously.
According to the Commerce Ministry, the FTA with the UK is a modern, comprehensive and landmark agreement which seeks to achieve deep economic integration along with trade liberalisation and tariff concessions.
It said India will gain from tariff elimination on about 99 per cent of the tariff lines (or product categories) covering almost 100 per cent of the trade value offering huge opportunities for increase in the bilateral trade between the two nations.
"The FTA provides a positive impact on manufacturing across labour and technology-intensive sectors and opens up export opportunities for sectors such as textiles, marine products, leather, footwear, sports goods and toys, gems and jewellery and other important sectors such as engineering goods, auto parts and engines and organic chemicals," it said.
This will substantially improve Indian goods competitiveness in the UK vis-a-vis other countries.
On the services front, India will benefit in sectors such as IT/ITeS, finance, professional, and educational services.
The FTA has eased mobility for professionals including contractual service suppliers; business visitors; investors; intra-corporate transferees; partners and dependent children of intra-corporate transferees with right to work; and independent professionals like yoga instructors, musicians and chefs.
"Immense opportunities for talented and skilled Indian youth will open up in the UK which is a major global centre for digitally delivered services due to its strong financial and professional services sectors and advanced digital infrastructure," it said.
Further, India has secured significant commitments on digitally delivered services such as architecture, engineering, computer-related and telecommunication services.
It also said that India has ensured that non-tariff barriers are suitably addressed to ensure free flow of goods and services and that they do not create unjustified restrictions to domestic exports.
Describing it as a "historic" deal, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it is the biggest deal the UK has done since leaving the EU (European Union) and the "most" ambitious India has ever done.
The deal will now go through the process of legal text formalisation to be approved by the British Parliament before it comes into force. It may take about a year for the implementation.
The pact comes at a time when global trade is facing headwinds due to the imposition of tariffs by the US.
The talks for the pact started in January 2022. Both sides held 14 rounds of talks for the conclusion of the talks.
In FTAs, two countries either eliminate or significantly reduce customs duties on maximum goods traded between them. They also ease norms for promoting trade in services and bilateral investments.
The bilateral trade between India and the UK increased to USD 21.34 billion in 2023-24 from USD 20.36 billion in 2022-23.
During April-January 2024-25, the trade in goods stood at USD 21.33 billion as against USD 20.26 billion in 2023-24. The trade gap is in the favour of India.
This forward-looking agreement benefits our farmers, fishermen, MSMEs, startups, exporters and aligns with India's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
— Piyush Goyal (@PiyushGoyal) May 6, 2025
It also supports the shared growth ambitions of both our nations. 🇮🇳🤝🇬🇧 https://t.co/5UGNqKkeJq
