Fast track tunnel works to start only in September

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By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Aug. 9: The formal tunnel construction works for the Kathmandu-Terai/Madhes Fast Track (KTFT) Project, one of the national pride projects of the country, has yet to begin, according to Nepali Army.

Although the preliminary works for the construction of three tunnels have been divided into two packages having total length of 6.415 km, the officials of the KTFT have said that the major construction works for the tunnels will begin only from first week of September to October.

“The ‘three-arm jumbo drilling rig’ machine borehole for twin-tunnel is yet to be brought by the Chinese contractor team,” Bikash Pokhrel, Technical Brigadier General and Chief of the Fast Track Project, said Monday. 

“It doesn’t mean that no work has been going on at the site for constructing the tunnel, the contract winning teams have been doing their initial and preliminary works like excavation of the tunnel constructing site, construction of access road and building of Bailey bridge are going on,” Pokhrel said.

Such huge machines could not be taken there without first having access road or the construction of Bailey bridge, so the technical teams have been mobilised in that part and other Chinese contractor teams have been working in the preliminary works of the tunnel, Pokhrel clarified.

Under the Expressway, construction of two tunnels and bridges have begun in Dhedre (Simpani to Chalise Kholsi 1.630 km) and Lendanda (Ghattepakha to Bandarekholsi 1.430 km) in Makwanpur. For these works, the two Chinese contractors have won Rs. 42.70 billion contract.

Similarly, the work of another 3.335 km (package No. 2) in Makwanpur’s Mahadevtar has been awarded to China State Construction Engineering Corp. Ltd. 

A month ago, the Nepali Army had conducted field-based monitoring and suspended the works of the tunnel after complaint about the quality of the tunnel.

Narayan Silwal, Brigadier General and Spokesperson for the Nepali Army Headquarters, said that it was true that last month the work was halted for conducting necessary monitoring. “At present, there is no such problem in the site, work for constructing tunnel has been going on smoothly,” Silwal said. 

It is a regular process to halt the work for the time being in any type of big project if any question arises in regard to the quality and technical matter, Silwal said. 

Nepali Army is working with dedication on the site to complete the project on time, he said. 

Meanwhile, Bishwo Bandhu Pahadi, Colonel and Chief of the Project Implementation and Operation Division said, that as this is a twin tunnel, the contractor teams are constructing the tunnel from both sides (inlet left and right and outlet left and right side) of the project. 

Tunnel construction works will gain momentum after the management of expert manpower, he said. 

He said that in Package No. 1 or Dhedre-Lanedanda site, the technical team has excavated just about 50 metres of the tunnel including both the sides (inlet left and right, outlet left and right). 

Likewise, in Mahadevtar site project or Package No 2, separate Chinese contractor had so far excavated 110.8 metre of the tunnel. 

Despite monsoon season, tunnel construction works have not been hampered as it is an indoor work, Colonel Pahadi said. 

He said that the two Chinese contractors have got three and a half years of contract completion period from the agreement held on June 14, 2022. 

According to the army, the physical progress of the fast track has been 19 per cent since the construction works 

started. The total estimated cost of the project, which started from the financial year 2076/77, is Rs. 175 billion including VAT. The army aims to complete the project by fiscal year of 2080/81.

For the current fiscal year, the government had allocated Rs. 30.7 billion for the project. Last fiscal year, the project had received Rs. 8 billion. 

The budget has also expected to complete the project in the next three fiscal years. However, the Project Office has made a calendar to complete the project by the end of the fiscal 2080/81 B.S.

According to the spokesperson, Rs. 25.40 billion had so far been spent in the construction of the project since its beginning. Apart from the current fiscal budget and Rs. 25.40 billion expenses, the government now needs to allocate Rs. 120 billion in the next two fiscal years. 

 
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