July 8: The construction of Nagdhunga tunnel, which was supposed to be completed within 42 months from the start of the project, is now 56 percent complete. The total length of the tunnel is projected to be 5.7 km.

The project made such progress despite hurdles like the Covid-19 pandemic, prohibitory order as well as the obstruction from the locals. The foundation stone of the tunnel was laid by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in October, 2019.

  According to the details provided by the project, a total of 3,072 meters of work has been completed including the main, auxiliary, audit and cross passages. Of them, 1,377 meters are dug on the east and west sides of the main tunnel and 1,507 meters on both sides of the auxiliary tunnel.

Among the other structures of the project, two underpasses have been constructed. There are plans to build three underpasses in the project. Similarly, 4 box culverts, 1 overpass and 3 bridges have also been constructed. The flyover is under construction.

Japanese construction company Hazama Ando Corporation had demanded an extension of deadline as the work was delayed due to the pandemic, restrictions and a few days of interruption by the locals.

The deadline of the project has been extended by three months after assessing the situation. An agreement was reached between the Government of Nepal and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in 2016 to construct the tunnel. The total cost of the tunnel is estimated to be around Rs 22 billion, of which JICA will bear Rs 16 billion and the Government of Nepal will bear Rs 6 billion. According to the project, the financial progress is 45.50 percent.