Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the nine kilometer long Atal Tunnel on October 03, 2020. Named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the tunnel is the world’s longest above an altitude of 3,000 metres and will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres. A feasibility study of the project Rohtang Tunnel (renamed Atal Tunnel) was carried out in May 1990 following which the geological report was submitted in June 2004. This was followed by a design and specification report which was prepared and finalised in December 2006. Following approval by Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) in 2005, tenders were floated in 2007 and the foundation stone was laid in July 2010. The project was scheduled to be completed by February 2015 but it was delayed due to fast flowing waters plus impediments due to rock structures. It was originally designed to be 8.8 km long but GPS readings taken on completion show it to be 9 km long.