Amid a sharp rise in tourist inflow to Himachal Pradesh, vehicular traffic through the Atal Tunnel on the Manali-Leh highway in Lahaul and Spiti district has increased significantly during the ongoing tourist season, prompting authorities to initiate a safety audit of the strategically important tunnel.
According to official traffic data recorded between March 30 and May 17, thousands of vehicles crossed the tunnel every week, with the highest traffic movement registered between May 11 and May 17. During this period, 24,051 vehicles entered through the tunnel, while 21,715 vehicles exited, indicating an unprecedented surge in tourist and local movement toward Lahaul-Spiti valley.
Traffic flow remained relatively moderate during the beginning of April, with 19,120 vehicles entering and 17,549 exiting the tunnel between March 30 and April 5. However, the numbers steadily increased over subsequent weeks. A major spike was observed from the last week of April onward when over 23,651 vehicles entered the tunnel during April 27 to May 3. The trend continued into May, reflecting the heavy summer tourist rush and increasing travel toward high-altitude destinations.
The Atal Tunnel, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020, is considered one of the world’s longest highway tunnels above 10,000 feet. The 9.02-kilometre-long engineering marvel connects Manali with Keylong, bypassing the snowbound Rohtang Pass and drastically reducing travel time between Kullu and Lahaul-Spiti districts. Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tunnel carries two lanes of National Highway-3 and serves as a lifeline for the region.
Officially, the tunnel has been designed to handle a daily traffic density of around 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks. However, during peak tourist seasons, traffic often exceeds the designed capacity, with reports suggesting that single-day vehicular movement has crossed 7,500 to 10,000 vehicles within 24 hours.
Concerned over public safety and increasing vehicular pressure, the district administration of Lahaul and Spiti has urged the Kullu district administration to conduct a detailed safety audit of the tunnel. According to sources, Deputy Commissioner Lahaul and Spiti Kiran Bhadana wrote to Kullu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Chander highlighting the urgent need for the audit, especially in view of the growing tourist influx and traffic load exceeding the tunnel’s actual carrying capacity.
Sources said the administration wants to assess whether additional preventive measures are required to ensure commuter safety during the peak tourism season. The concern is particularly significant because no comprehensive safety audit of the tunnel has reportedly been conducted for a long time.
When contacted, Kullu Deputy Commissioner Anurag Chander confirmed that the district administration had received communication from the Lahaul-Spiti administration regarding the matter. He stated that the safety audit of the Atal Tunnel is now on the cards and necessary arrangements have already been made.
“The safety audit of the tunnel will be conducted shortly and detailed findings will be shared after completion of the process,” he said.
Authorities have meanwhile appealed to tourists and commuters to strictly follow traffic regulations and cooperate with officials to ensure smooth and safe movement through the tunnel during the busy tourist season.
