Cabinet approves cost effective tunnel construction guideline

Kathmandu: The government has approved the guidelines on tunnel construction. The guidelines sets the standard for making tunnel construction cost-effective and well managed.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers held three days back took this decision. Proposal to this was forwarded by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transport, according to government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Dr Yubaraj Khatiwada.

He informed that the government prepared its own criteria for tunnel construction after the country began tunnel way. "Earlier, we had no standard of our own. It now helps on cost estimation of the development project adopting tunnel construction," he made it clear.

Three tunnel ways including national pride project, Kathmandu-Tarai fast track, will be built based on this standard.

The government has already begun tunnel construction at Nagdhunga. Similar tunnel is being constructed at Siddhababa of Butwal-Palpa roadway. Tokha-Chhahare tunnel is also under construction.