SELA TUNNEL (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Infrastructure)

Context: China has lodged a diplomatic protest with India over Prime Minister Narendra of India’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, where he inaugurated the strategically important Sela tunnel.

Sela Tunnel

• About: It connecting Tezpur in Assam to Tawang in Arunachal, stands as a testament to modern engineering prowess.
• Length: 8.6 km
• Altitude: 13000 feet
• Strategic Connectivity: Sela Tunnel holds immense strategic importance, facilitating year-round access to Tawang and other frontier areas adjacent to China.
• Enhancing Defense Logistics: The tunnel's construction is poised to streamline the movement of troops and arms, facilitating quicker deployments and logistics along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China.
• Time-Saving Transport: With a reduction of over an hour in travel time from Tezpur to Tawang, the tunnel promises to enhance regional accessibility and foster economic growth.

Arunachal Pradesh

• About: It is a state in northeast India, nestled in the easternmost reaches of the country.
• Historical Formation: Formed from the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region, India officially declared Arunachal Pradesh as a state on 20 February 1987.
• Capital: Itanagar 
• Bordering States: Arunachal Pradesh shares borders with the Indian states of Assam and Nagaland to the south, fostering regional connectivity and interactions.
• International Borders: Internationally, Arunachal Pradesh shares its borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east, and a contentious 1,129 km border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the north, delineated by the McMahon Line.