[6] When Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister, locals suggested his childhood friend Arjun Gopal, To visit him and to talk about Rohtang Tunnel.

[10] In May 2007, the government of Dr. Manmohan Singh awarded the contract to SMEC (Snowy Mountains Engineering Corporation) International Private Limited, an Australian company, and the completion date was revised to 2014.

The work was awarded to a joint venture of AFCONS Infrastructure Limited, an Indian construction company of Shapoorji Pallonji Group, and STRABAG AG, Austria, in September 2009.

[12] The drilling of the Rohtang Tunnel through the Himalayan ranges began on 28 June 2010 at the South Portal, 25 km (16 mi) north of Manali.

Permanent maintenance free earthing system design, supply and installation was sub-contracted to Manav Energy Pvt.

[7] The Atal Tunnel has been planned to ensure an all-seasons, all-weather road route to strategically important areas of Ladakh and the remote Lahaul-Spiti valley.

Connectivity to Ladakh will require more tunnels: either at Shikun La, or at the passes located on the present Leh-Manali road.

Director General Border Roads Lt Gen Rajeev Chaudhry, VSM has initiated plans for construction of tunnel at Shinkula.

[31] The tunnel is intended to create an all-weather route to Leh and Lahaul and Spiti valleys in Himachal Pradesh.

Heavy snowfall in the Rohtang Pass area is a major concern, especially on the approach roads to the main tunnel.