KATHMANDU, Feb 26: The Siddharth Highway will be closed for eight hours a day starting from Saturday to make a diversion for the construction of a tunnel in the Siddhababa area of Palpa.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation is undertaking the construction of an 1100-meter long tunnel after being awarded a contract worth Rs 7.34 billion. Siddhababa Tunnel Project in a notice published on Friday said that the highway is going to be closed twice a day for a total of eight hours from February 25 to March 11 to avoid possible accidents.

"As there is the possibility of accidents occurring at any time due to the stones falling off the guardrail at the construction site, vehicular movement will be completely halted from 11AM to 2 PM and from 10 PM to 3 AM", the notice states.

During this period, arrangements have been made to stop the vehicles coming from Palpa at Jadibutichowk in Tinau Rural Municipality-3. Similarly, the office has requested vehicles going towards Butwal to stop at Chidiakhola and Lower Siddhababa Temple. It is mentioned in the notification that small and medium vehicles of essential services can use the Belbas-Nuwakot-Dobhan road.

Similarly, the project has requested to follow lane discipline strictly, not to overtake randomly, and in case of violation, action will be taken according to the prevailing law.

In the Siddhababa area of the Palpa-Butwal road section, landslides along with rocks fall from above and accidents occur from time to time, causing human casualties. This road links Butwal with Palpa, Syangja, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Baglung, Kaski, and  Parbat districts.

 
• Siddharth_Highway
 
• tunnel
 
• construction