President Murmu to Attend AIIMS Bilaspur Convocation, Visit Atal Tunnel

Murmu will attend the inaugural convocation of AIIMS Bilaspur as the chief guest. Himachal Pradesh Governor Kavinder Gupta, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda are also scheduled to attend the ceremony.

The convocation marks a significant milestone for the institute and its first batch of MBBS students to complete their medical education there. The President is expected to confer degrees and honour graduating doctors for their academic achievements.

Following her engagement in Bilaspur, Murmu will travel to Manali. On October 7, she is scheduled to visit the Hidimba Temple and the Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Lahaul-Spiti district.

The President's visit to the tunnel is part of her official programme. Her earlier proposed visit to the Atal Tunnel during a Himachal Pradesh tour in April had been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

The Atal Tunnel provides all-weather connectivity between Manali and the Lahaul Valley and serves as a major infrastructure link in the region.

Authorities have made extensive security and traffic arrangements in Bilaspur and along the President's planned routes. Preparations include security deployment, traffic management, parking facilities, medical services, drinking water, electricity supply and emergency response arrangements.

Murmu is scheduled to conclude her Himachal Pradesh visit on October 8 and return to New Delhi.

AIIMS Bilaspur was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 5, 2022. Modi had also laid the foundation stone for the institute in October 2017 under the Central government's Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana.

The medical institute was constructed at a cost of more than Rs 1,470 crore and has 18 speciality and 17 super-speciality departments, 18 modular operation theatres and 750 beds, including 64 ICU beds. Spread across 247 acres, the facility also provides round-the-clock emergency and dialysis services.

AIIMS Bilaspur has also been providing specialist healthcare services through medical camps in remote tribal and high-altitude areas, including Kaza, Saluni and Keylong.

The institute admits 100 students annually to its MBBS programme and 60 students to nursing courses.

The Atal Tunnel, meanwhile, provides year-round connectivity between Manali and the Lahaul-Spiti Valley. The 9.02-km tunnel is described as the world's longest highway tunnel and has significantly improved connectivity through the Pir Panjal range.

Before the tunnel was constructed, heavy snowfall would leave the Lahaul Valley cut off for around six months every year. Built at an altitude of about 3,000 metres, the tunnel has reduced the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and cut travel time by around four to five hours.

The tunnel's south portal is located around 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 metres, while its north portal is near Teling village in Sissu in the Lahaul Valley at approximately 3,071 metres.

The horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, double-lane tunnel has an eight-metre roadway and an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres. It has been designed to handle around 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks a day, with a maximum permitted speed of 80 kmph.