Shiradi ghat tunnel work to start soon?

Mangaluru: The Shiradi ghat tunnel project is receiving more support within the administration now as landslides on the ghat stretch of the road have become common every year in monsoon causing traffic suspension for days.

This year, landslides on the National Highway 75 at Donigal and on National Highway 73 at the 6th turn on Charmadi ghat caused traffic to be suspended for almost three days.

With these problems, the Shiradi ghat tunnel project is seen as a viable alternative by many.

The Canara Trade and Industry Association, the Canara Industries Association, the Confederation of Indian Industries and other organizations have already started pressuring the Central government to urgently undertake the tunnel project.

The 23.57-kilometre tunnel is planned to be built from Addahole to Sakleshpura. There will be six parts of the tunnel with 10 bridges.

The estimated cost of the project will be Rs 10,015 crores.

It was first decided that the will be done in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency which had also prepared a DPR. However, later the collaboration was abandoned with the Government of India now planning to do it under the Bharat Mala project.