PM Oli inaugurates breakthrough of Siddhababa Tunnel

Kathmandu, January 24 — The main section of the Siddhababa Tunnel, part of the national pride project, has completed the tunnel breakthrough.

On Friday, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli virtually inaugurated the tunnel breakthrough.

With this breakthrough, the tunnel work covering 1,126 meters from the Upper Siddhababa Temple to the Butwal-Tansen road section has been completed.

While virtually addressing the tunnel breakthrough ceremony, Prime Minister Oli highlighted that the country is advancing from a remote, underdeveloped state towards becoming a more accessible and developed nation.

"This joy is the joy of all of us. It is the happiness of the entire country," the Prime Minister said. "Traveling to districts such as Palpa, Rupandehi, and Syangja will be much easier due to this road."

In his speech, the Prime Minister stressed the historical significance of the tunnel, calling it a success and an important milestone in history.

Prime Minister Oli stated that achievements like this could help eliminate backwardness, asserting that the current government is focused on development and stability.

"The work that started previously is progressing. The coalition government has focused on the rapid development and good governance of the country. We will build our country to be able to offer assistance as per the needs of others," he added.

The 'Breakthrough' ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Devendra Dahal, and other officials.

The tunnel was constructed to secure this section of the highway, which often experiences dust and landslides during the dry season.

The area from the lower Siddhababa Temple to Dobhan of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway is the most landslide prone region. The tunnel has been constructed to make this section of the highway safe as landslides occur even during the dry season.

The Department of Roads had called for international tender for the construction of the tunnel on May 23, 2021 after a meeting of the Council of Ministers in 2020 allocated the budget for the tunnel.

Three emergency bypasses have been constructed in case of any problem in the tunnel. The breakthrough of the third and first bypass had been done on September 11 and 20 respectively while the breakthrough of the third bypass was done on December 22, 2024.

The first bypass is 151 metres long, the second 161 metres long and the third one is 130 metres long. The first bypass is towards the upper Siddhababa Temple and the third bypass is towards the dam site.

The 1.12-kilometre tunnel will have double lanes with a width of 8.5 metres along with sidewalks.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation started construction of the project at a cost of Rs 7 billion 342 million and 140 thousand. The project will be completed in 2027.

The Siddhababa-Dobhan road section is the main link between more than a dozen districts in the plains and the hills, including Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Kaski, Parbat and Baglung districts. It is one of the busiest highways of Nepal with more than 5,000 vehicles plying the road section every day.