Tansen. The construction of the Siddhababa tunnel, a national pride project, has seen 61 per cent completion. The work has gained momentum after the breakthrough of the tunnel.

The lining and slope works have been completed so far, said Dudh Adhikari, chief of the Saddhababa Tunnel Way Project Office. Of the total 1,126-metre tunnel, the tunnel is 1,089 metres. According to him, the work of structural lining on the inner wall of the tunnel has been completed.

According to the project office, 61.6 per cent physical progress has been achieved so far while 51.1 per cent financial progress has been achieved in the construction of the tunnel at Tinau rural municipality-3 Dobhan Siddhababa area of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway.

“The inner walls of the tunnel have been covered with concrete, concrete, block or other materials. The work of 1,089 meters of the invert has also been completed. Along with this, the work of the North and South portals has also been started. “We need to construct 19 metres portal in the north side and 18 metres in the south side,” he said.

Stating that helipads are being constructed towards north and south, he said vehicles would be able to operate through the main tunnel in five to seven months. The construction of a 1,126-metre tunnel from the Upper Siddhababa Temple along the Butwal-Tansen section of the Siddhartha Highway had begun in 2079 BS. Breakthrough of the main tunnel has already been completed under the project.

The construction of the tunnel was undertaken by the China State Construction Engineering Corporation at a cost of Rs 7.34 billion.

Landslides occur frequently from the lower Siddhababa Temple of Siddhartha Highway to the Dobhan of Palpa. The tunnel way was constructed to make this section of the highway safe as landslides occur even in dry season.