We think, after the 'break through' of the tunnel, it won't be long before it goes into operation. But experts say, 'break through' is only the initial construction. Then there is a lot of work to be done. An example of this is the Nagadhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel project. The 'break through' of this tunnel took place on May 3. So far the work inside the tunnel has not been completed, which means that the vehicles have not been able to operate.

Palpa's Siddhababa tunnel has also been 'break through' on Friday. Only 1.8 meters were left to connect the north and south sections of the tunnel under Siddharth Highway, which was completed on Friday. Although the distance of both tunnels is different, the work done inside the tunnel after 'break through' is mostly the same. 

Senior Divisional Engineer of Quality, Research and Development Center Pradeep Bhandari said that in the first phase, the work of fixing the inner road will be started by digging the tunnel. "Now there is mud on the road inside the tunnel," he said, "the road will be dug and repaired until the mud is gone." After that, more work is carried out by building a paved road. After that, water proofing work will be done, he said.

"Water is coming while digging inside the tunnel," he said, "It is taken from the inside to the pipe and managed outside." After that, the final concreting work is carried out by placing supports. Once that work is done, electrification and the final phase of lining will begin. Lighting, ventilation and finally the final stage of paved (sloping) roads are constructed. The tunnel is then tested. "Once everything is completed, the tunnel will be operational," Bhandari said. All these works are being done after the 'break through' of both the Nagadhunga and Siddhababa tunnels.  A drain will also be made between both sides and the two-lane road inside the

tunnel. Director of Quality, Research and Development Center Prabhat Kumar Jha said that it is not possible to stop traffic outside the Siddhababa tunnel. "Therefore, since we have to close the road and work, we will start other work outside only by making arrangements to drive vehicles through the tunnel," he said. "If there is no problem, there will be no delay in the construction of the tunnel." The construction company has been demanding an extension saying that all the work cannot be completed in this period. "The construction company has asked for an extension of 9 months regarding the matter of cutting trees and others," he said. was done Prior to that, due to preparation and cutting of trees, the tunneling work did not proceed. For convenience and immediate rescue in case of any problem with vehicles inside the tunnel, the first bypass tunnel of 151 meters, the second of 161 meters and the third bypass tunnel of 130 meters has been constructed, which has been 'break through' some time ago.

The length of the main tunnel is 1,126 meters. The construction of the tunnel was started as an alternative after frequent landslides on this road section and accidents started to increase. According to the Siddhababa tunnel project, the physical progress of the overall construction is 40.18 percent and the financial progress is 39.90 percent. 2 thousand 398 meters of road will be improved in that section. Four km of this section falls within the landslide prone area. Similarly, a rock set will be constructed outside the tunnel in case of landslides.

whose distance is 780 meters. A cemented rock set will be made in the area where the tunnel is constructed and the stones will fall down. According to the project, the rock set is designed based on the fact that rocks fall and can/can't withstand it. Its contract was taken by China State Construction Engineering Company. The contract amount is 7 billion 34 crore 21 lakh rupees. It will be taller than the Nagadhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel. Its height from the ground will be 9.2 meters. The height of Nagadhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel is 8.2 meters. According to the design, 15 jet fans will be installed for ventilation.