Work on the Nagdhunga–Sisnekhola tunnelway resumed on Sunday under police guard after being halted for 28 days due to protests by local residents.

Senior divisional engineer Sanjay Panthi of the Nagdhunga Tunnel Project said that construction resumed following security arrangements from Nepal Police after locals obstructed the project since March 16. The protesters, mainly from ward 2 of Chandragiri Municipality—on the Dhading-Kathmandu border—have demanded proper compensation, employment, and access to drinking water.

Despite the resumption, locals continued chanting slogans at the tunnel entrance on Sunday, Panthi said.

The locals have insisted that the programmes, including drinking water, launched through the tunnel project be continued either through the project itself or on behalf of the Department of Roads.

Repeated interruptions have impeded the progress of the tunnel road. However, government agencies have been slow to address these issues.

Then-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli laid the foundation stone for the Rs22 billion project in October 2019.

The project was initially expected to be completed within three and a half years. However, it faced delays due to the Covid pandemic and, more recently, a shortage of construction materials.

The project’s deadline, which was first extended by three months, was further extended to April 25, 2024, from its original deadline of April 26, 2023. The deadline has now been extended again, this time to mid-October 2025, as the work has not been completed within the previous timeframe.

The remaining work, including lighting, ventilation, and concrete road construction inside the tunnel, is said to be in the final stages.

The tunnel once completed is expected to significantly ease traffic congestion at Nagdhunga, which is the major point for entering and exiting the Kathmandu Valley.