Himachal Governor inspects Shungal Tunnel at Kaithlighat

Solan, August 21

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Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla today visited Shimla Bypass Tunnel 1 Portal 2 at Shungal near Kaithlighat. He inspected the progress of the work and took detailed information related to the project.

The tunnel is part of the four-laning of 28.5 km stretch of the Shimla bypass being undertaken under package 1 and 2 where a total of 10 tunnels of 10.6 km length will be constructed. The project also includes 27 big bridges and viaducts. A total of Rs 4,800 crore will be spent on the project.

The Governor stated that he took stock of the left tube of Tunnel 1 of the bypass today. “After the completion of the project, the distance from Kaithlighat to Dhalli will be reduced by about 15 km and one hour of travel time would be saved. By constructing the tunnel, the National Highway Authorities of India (NHAI) has saved about 5,000 trees from being axed besides preventing soil erosion.”

“The tunnel will provide a safe and smooth travel experience in the hilly area besides saving on fuel thus reducing air pollution and carbon footprint .About 22,500 trees will be saved from being axed while constructing these 10 tunnels,” he said.

Abdul Basit, Regional Officer, NHAI, while appraising the Governor about Shugal Tunnel, said the total length of the tunnel in both the phases was 1,410 meters and the tunnel was likely to be completed by January 2025. A sum of Rs 90 crore was being incurred on its construction.

He said the total cost of the four-laning project from Kathlighat to Dhalli of Shimla bypass was Rs 4,800 crore. The project was likely to be completed by March 2027.

Various safety features and other measures will be put to use inside the tunnels. These include use of fans for ventilation inside the tunnel, LED or fluorescent lights, safety gadgets like smoke sensor, fire alarm, sprinkler mechanism, telephone booth, disaster management control room, auto toll system and lane control system besides emergency exit in case of exigencies.

Rajesh Sharma, Secretary to Governor, Manmohan Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Solan, Gaurav Singh, Superintendent of Police and other officers of National Highways Authorities of India were also present on the occasion.