Nepal's first modern transport tunnel has been formally inaugurated, marking a historic milestone in the country's infrastructure development.
The Nagdhunga tunnel was jointly inaugurated by Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal and Dr. Tanaka Akihiko, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Spanning roughly seven years since its inception, the 2,688-meter main route—alongside a built-in evacuation tunnel—is now complete and ready for transit. Interestingly, Minister Lamsal did not deliver a speech during the ceremony; instead, addresses were made exclusively by the Japanese Ambassador, the JICA President, and Ministry Secretary Gopal Sigdel.
Following its inauguration, the tunnel has now come into operation, restricted strictly to emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines.
To ensure smooth operation and upkeep, the Department of Roads signed an agreement on April 28 with the Yusin-ART Joint Venture—comprising a Chinese and a Nepali firm—to manage and maintain the corridor. Under the five-year contract valued at Rs 1.104 billion, the joint venture will handle overall management.
The contract had been signed on November 14, 2019 with the aim of completing the project by May 13, 2023. However, the deadline of the project was last extended until October 25, 2025 due to various issues including COVID-19 and protests by the locals.
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