Shimla, Dec 12 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government on Monday said it will take up the issue of restoration of a plaque declaring that the foundation stone for the Atal Tunnel was laid by Congress leader Sonia Gandhi with the concerned authorities.

In a release issued here, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the plaque has been "missing", which is an "insult to democracy". It must be restored at the earliest, he said.

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The state Congress had protested after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the tunnel on October 3, 2020, alleging that the foundation stone laid by Gandhi on June 28, 2010 had been removed before its opening.

Gandhi had laid the foundation stone for the tunnel as the then chairperson of the National Advisory Council, according to the release.

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The 9.02-km tunnel was built by the Border Roads Organisation to connect landlocked Lahaul-Spiti district, said Sukhu, who assumed charge as the Chief Minister on Monday.

Himachal Pradesh Police had on October 14, 2020 said the foundation stone was secure with the construction company which built the tunnel.

Earlier, the Congress had written to former chief minister Jairam Thakur regarding the issue.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)