New Delhi: A photograph is being widely circulated by several politicians and media houses with the claim that it is the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh that was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday.
The all-weather Atal Tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley, reducing travel time to Leh by up to five hours.
Adesh Gupta, president of BJP’s Delhi unit, shared the photograph on Facebook as he congratulated PM Modi.
“Congratulations to PM Shri Narendra Modi for the world’s longest tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’. This tunnel will play a vital role in defending the borders of the country. It will reduce the travel time between Manali and Leh by four to five hours, and will also improve economy and tourism in the area,” Gupta wrote.
BJP member Narendra Kumar Chawla who is the municipal councillor of Janakpuri, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, also shared the image from his verified Twitter handle with the exact same message as Gupta’s.
पीएम श्री @narendramodi जी को दुनिया की सबसे लंबी राजमार्ग सुरंग 'अटल सुरंग' के लिए बधाई। यह सुरंग देश की सीमाओं की रक्षा करने में महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाएगी।मनाली व लेह के बीच की दूरी भी 4 से 5 घंटे कम हो जाएगी,अर्थव्यवस्था और पर्यटन क्षेत्र को बढ़ावा मिलेगा।#AtalTunnelRohtang pic.twitter.com/eBOzNGnlzY
— Narendra Kumar Chawla (@NarenderChawla1) October 3, 2020
Several other Twitter handles, including one belonging to BJP spokesperson from Madhya Pradesh, Neeru Singh Gyani, also shared the image on the microblogging site.
Many media outlets, including Times Now and Asia Net News (Bangla), too shared the image after it was posted by several BJP supporters on Twitter and Facebook.
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Fact-check
The photograph shared by the politicians and media outlets is of the Tom Lantos Tunnel (also known as Devil’s Slide Tunnels) in California that was taken eight years ago.
The actual photo of the Atal Tunnel’s entrance was shared by Major General Gagan Deep Bakshi on Twitter Saturday.
The Atal tunnel has come at a most crtical juncture in the India – China face off.The need to move Large forces to eastern ladakh had more than doubled the Winter stocking requirement. Atal Tunnell Provides a paradigm Shift in Op- logistics. It could not have been better timed . pic.twitter.com/mbAZXeHaLy
— Maj Gen (Dr)GD Bakshi SM,VSM(retd) (@GeneralBakshi) October 3, 2020
As seen in the image above, the Atal Tunnel has a rectangular entrance, unlike the Tom Lantos Tunnel, which has a circular entrance.
In collaboration with SM Hoaxslayer.
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Defunct of any integrity is the CONgress.
A lot of thought and effort goes into the manufacture of Fake News. Unmindful of the fact that in a world of Google search and fact checking, it has such a short shelf life.