Palpa. The work of Siddhababa tunnel, which is a project of national pride, is going on in full swing. According to the tunnel project, the tunnel lining (floor and wall slope) work on the tunnel is going on in full swing. Apart from this, work is also going on.

The construction of the tunnel at Dobhan Siddhababa area of Tinau rural municipality-3 of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway has gained momentum. According to Krishna Raj Adhikari, chief of the project office, the physical progress is 59.73 per cent while the financial progress is 51.1 per cent.

According to him, at present, 1,089 meters of the ground part of the main tunnel has been completed and the work of 994 meters of lining has been completed. At present, 292 meters of lining work is going on inside the tunnel.

Of the three bypasses, the first is 1151 meters, the second is 161 meters and the third is 130 meters. In the first bypass, 145 meters invert and 124 meters lining work has been completed. In the second bypass, the work of invert 157.8 meters and 8.3 meters of lining has been completed. Similarly, the invert work on the third bypass of the tunnel has been completed by 125 meters and the lining work of 104.2 meters.

The two-lane main tunnel will be 1,089 meters long, 10.5 meters wide and about seven meters high. According to project chief Adhikari, vehicles for essential works can move in the main tunnel of the tunnel.

The construction of the 1,126-metre tunnel from the Upper Siddhababa Temple on the Butwal-Tansen road section under the Siddhartha Highway has started here since 2079 BS. The main tunnel under the project has already been ‘breakthrough’.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation is working at a cost of Rs 7.34 billion to complete the tunnel in five years. According to the Project Office, the target is to complete all the works in 2083 BS.