September 5: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has agreed to proceed with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) of the Tokha-Chhare tunnel project connecting Kathmandu with Rasuwagadhi, a vital trade route with China. This project falls within the Shivapuri Nagarjun National Park area, and is approved while subjecting to various conditions. 

With the consent of the Ministry of Forest, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport initiated the process of informing the Chinese side to proceed with the study of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) along with the EIA. The Ministry of Forest agreed to proceed with the EIA process of this project under eight conditions. This has paved the way to proceed with DPR and EIA of this tunnel which has already completed a feasibility study. Similarly, the source said, "The consent of the Ministry of Forest has been obtained. Since the conditions set by the Ministry will be implemented when the EIA and DPR are advanced, the Chinese side will be informed through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to proceed with further studies."

The pre-feasibility study of this project was completed with the help of the Chinese government. 

During the construction and operation of the proposed project, the Ministry of Forest has put a condition that the negative impact of the tunnel on rare and endangered wildlife and their habitat, biological diversity and ecological system should be studied.

According to the Wildlife Friendly Infrastructure Construction Guidelines - 2078, detailed studies on these issues should be carried out and measures to minimize negative impacts should be included in the report.

Similarly, while studying the feasibility of the project, it has been mentioned that various options should also be studied. Based on the facts and data, it has been asked to select and study the options that will have the least negative impact on the biodiversity and the overall environment and use the least amount of forest in the park areas and its immediate neighbourhood.

In the study report, the ministry has set conditions demanding inclusion of alternative designs and to opt for the design that will cause less environmental damage and the minimum use of the forest area of the park and the intermediate areas. When the Chinese President visited Nepal in October 2019, it was agreed to proceed with the study of this tunnel. A plan has been put forward to connect the Rasuwagadhi road with a short distance from Kathmandu and advance this tunnel to make the road access closer to the north.