December 19: The Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project is likely to miss the completion deadline again.    

The construction of the tunnel, which was supposed to be completed within 42 months from the start of the project, is now 70 percent complete.

The foundation stone of the tunnel was laid by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli in October, 2019. As per the initial agreement, the project was supposed to be completed by April 2023. However, the extended deadline of the project is mid-August 2023.

But, the project officials say it is not possible to complete the remaining works within the given timeframe due to the challenges related to land acquisition and Covid-19 pandemic.

Deputy Director of the project, Madhav Prasad Adhikari, told the state-owned national news agency (RSS) that the project is likely to be delayed by some months.    

The extended deadline is ending in mid-August next year. The construction works were hampered in the past two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.    

Study is going on to assess the additional time that the project requires to get completed, said Adhikari.  

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. The total length of the tunnel is projected to be 5.7 km.

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