A breakthrough was made in the Siddhababa Tunnel Road, a national pride project on Friday. The main tunnel located in ward 3 of Tinau Rural Municipality of Palpa district, achieved the breakthrough after a virtual address by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli from Kathmandu. Although the prime minister had planned to attend the function in person, the plan was put off at the last moment due to his health issues. Only 1.8 meters of the 1,089-meter-long tunnel was left to be excavated for the breakthrough.
Addressing the event virtually, Prime Minister Oli said the tunnel project would provide a much-needed relief to travelers on the route, who have long endured landslide-induced accidents. He said the project would facilitate safer travel, strengthen social and economic ties, and enable the exchange of goods and services. Referring to last year’s breakthrough of the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel as Nepal’s entry into the era of tunnels, the prime minister said that the environment of fear during travel had ended, allowing for safer and shorter journeys.
The breakthrough event was attended in person by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Urban Development Prakashman Singh, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Paudel, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, and Secretary of the Ministry Keshav Kumar Sharma, among others.
According to the Siddhababa Tunnel Project Office, the project’s physical progress reached 40.18 percent, while financial progress stood at 39.90 percent at the time of the breakthrough.
Although the tunnel has achieved a breakthrough, completing the lining and adjusting the slope will take time. According to the project, even if the contractor adheres to the timeline, it will take another year for vehicles to begin operating.
The China State Construction Engineering Corporation was awarded the project tender worth Rs7.34 billion on February 17, 2022. According to the contract terms, construction must be completed by March 22, 2027. The tunnel excavation work began in December last year.
The Siddhababa-Dovan road section is the main link between more than a dozen districts in the plains and hills. The hill districts, including Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Kaski, Parbat, and Baglung are connected to the Tarai districts, mainly in Lumbini Province through Rupandehi.
