Tansen. The work of Siddhababa tunnel, which is a project of national pride, is currently going on at a rapid pace. The construction of the tunnel at Dobhan Siddhababa area of Tinau rural municipality-3 of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway has gained momentum.

So far, 57.51 per cent physical progress of the tunnel has been completed while the financial progress is 51.1 per cent, said Sabita Gyawali, engineer at the Siddhababa Tunnel Project Office.

According to him, the construction of 1,089 meters of the main tunnel floor has been completed. Engineer Gyawali said that the work of 834 meters of the right-hand lining has been completed. According to him, the work of lining is currently going on at 292 meters inside the tunnel.

“Of the three bypasses, the first is 151 metres, the second is 161 metres and the third is 130 metres. In the first bypass, the work of invert 145 meters and 124 meters of lining has been completed. The invert work on the third bypass of the tunnel is 125 meters and the lining work is 30 meters,” he said.

The two-lane main tunnel will be 1,089 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and about seven meters high. Project chief Krishna Raj Adhikari said the installation of lighting communication and safety equipment would be started after a month or two after the completion of the invert and lining work.

According to him, vehicles for essential works can move in the main tunnel of the tunnel. People’s representatives, security agencies and various stakeholders have been regularly monitoring the progress of the tunnel work.

Thakur Prasad Gaire, a member of the House of Representatives, said that they have come to monitor the necessary support from the people’s representatives to complete the work of the tunnel within the stipulated time÷.

The construction of the 1,126-metre tunnel from upper Siddhababa temple on butwal-Tansen road section under Siddhartha Highway has started in 2079 BS. Under this event, the ‘breakthrough’ of the main tunnel has already been done. According to the Project Office, the project was started by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation at a cost of Rs 7.34 billion to complete the tunnel within five years.

The lower Siddhababa temple of Siddhartha Highway to Dobhan of Palpa falls under the area of heavy landslide. Engineer Gyawali said that the tunnel has been constructed to make this section of the highway safe due to landslides during the dry season. According to him, transport vehicles ply to Gulmi, Palpa, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Pokhara, Baglung and Myagdi using this road section.