By Dipak Gyawali
Butwal, May 24: A tunnel road is set to be constructed in the Siddhababa area of the Butwal-Tansen road section along the Sidhhartha Highway.
Frequent landslides have been causing severe damages to the road section for years.
For the construction, the government called for a global tender on Sunday, confirmed Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel.
Minister Paudel, who was elected to the House of Representatives from Rupandehi in 2017, said that construction of the tunnel would move ahead at any cost.
“After the construction of the tunnel road, loss of life and property could be prevented, and it would help boost the prosperity campaign of the government,” he said.
The deadline to submit the tender is until 12 pm of July 7. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development has called the tender.
“The construction process will begin shortly after the tender process gets completed,” assured Minister Paudel.
The government had already completed a preliminary study and prepared a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of the tunnel road.
The Finance Ministry had also allocated a budget of Rs. 10.15 billion for it last year.
The Sidhhababa area is a seven-kilometer stretch of the risky road, from the Chidiya River of Butwal to Dovan, where landslides occur frequently killing passengers and causing damages to property.