Nagadhunga tunnel construction project claims that the locals did not come despite repeated requests to come to the talks after the work was interrupted due to the demands that had already been met.
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After 28 days of construction being stopped, the work of Nagadhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel has resumed under police protection. While the construction work was in its final stage, the project work was halted after the locals obstructed the work saying that the project did not meet their demands. Locals of Tutipakha located in Chandragiri Municipality-2 stopped work on both Kathmandu and Dhading sides from Chait 3.
The Nagadhunga tunnel construction project claims that the locals have not come despite repeated requests to come to the talks after obstructing the work due to the demands that have already been met. Sanjay Panthi, senior divisional engineer of the Nagadhunga tunnel construction project said that the work was resumed with the help of the police from Sunday with the help of the district administration office Kathmandu.
We tried a lot to solve the problem through dialogue. But the locals didn't want to come to the talks,' he said, 'We tried everything we could and could do on our side, but after finding no solution, we started construction under the protection of the police.'
The halted work has been resumed under the protection of Nepal and the Armed Police. Panthi claims that there was work inside and outside the tunnel in both districts on Sunday. Police have also been deployed at the under-construction flyover in Kisipdi area in Balambu. "If the project work can be completed quickly, the problem of traffic jam in Nagadhunga uphill would be eliminated," he said. DIG Dinesh Kumar Acharya, spokesperson of Nepal Police, said that six people who tried to obstruct the construction were arrested and released on Friday evening.
"Thankot police arrested those who obstructed the work on Friday," he said.
Although it is promoted as the first vehicle-passable tunnel, there is not much initiative from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to solve the immediate problems and complete the construction work quickly. As a result, the construction time is being pushed back. Locals are in a position to settle the demands that have been fulfilled
. If the builders claim compensation for the period of work stoppage, there is still a risk that the government will have to pay the daily rate of about 5 million. Even if the project manager changes quickly, it is difficult to solve the problems that appear in the immediate project. Now the project is leaderless. After the transfer of Gyanendra Kumar Jha, the then project chief of the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road project, the Nagadhunga-Tunnel construction project became without a chief.
Work was underway to bring the tunnel into operation by October 2082. But in the meantime, the problem was compounded when the locals obstructed the work. Currently, lighting, ventilation, construction of concrete road inside the tunnel are in the final stage. The construction of the flyover is also in the final stage. The residents of Tutipakha have demanded that the ongoing programs should be carried out continuously through the project or should be carried out through the road department. Even after the completion of the project, the locals have put forward the provision of free drinking water as their first demand.
Locals have obstructed the work with demands such as proper compensation for houses damaged due to the tunnel, guaranteeing employment to the residents of the affected area based on their qualifications and abilities. At present, more than 10,000 vehicles pass through the Nagadhunga road section every day. But after 65 months of tunneling, which started on November 4, 2076, the physical progress is only 87 percent. Engineer Panthi said that initially there was a problem in completing the project due to Covid and later due to local obstacles.
The main tunnel is 2,688 meters long and the emergency tunnel is 2,557 meters long. The Japanese company Hazma Endo Corporation is working on the construction of the tunnel.
