Assam's Gohpur-Numaligarh Tunnel Project To Be Reviewed By Experts

GUWAHATI: The DPR (Detailed Project Report) of the 33.7-km long Goghpur-Numaligarh Tunnel Project has to undergo the technical review of a panel of experts constituted recently by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).

The MoRTH issued instructions to all state governments and NHIDCL (National Highways Infrastructure Development Corporation), NHAI (National High Authorities of India), and all government NH road project implementing agencies that the DPRs of all tunnel projects measuring 1.5 km and above must undergo reviews by the panel of experts for tunnels for safety reasons.

According to sources in the NHIDCL, Guwahati office, since the preparation of the DPR for the Gohpur-Numaligarh Tunnel Project is underway, according to the new policy of the central government, the NHIDCL will have to submit the DPR to the Director General (Road Development) and Special Secretary of MoRTH for review by the panel of experts for tunnel projects.

The MoRTH had to adopt such a policy shift following the Silkyara tunnel episode in Uttarakhand. In its letter to all stakeholders, the MoRTH said, “The recent mishaps during construction of tunnels, noteworthy being the Silkyara tunnel episode, have highlighted the urgent need for a review of the investigation, design, and construction of tunnel projects to identify and resolve the problems and also to ensure compliance with national and international guidelines at the time of preparation of the DPR."

“In order to identify and address various issues/problems at the time of DPR preparation and provide expert advice during the construction stage, the Ministry has established a collaborative framework with academic institutions and government organisations to address various aspects, viz., geological, geotechnical, and geophysical investigation, design, safety audit, instrumentation, and monitoring pertaining to tunnel projects.

Further, the Ministry also constituted an advisory panel comprising experts from ONGC, RVNL, and THIDCL for tendering expert advice during the appraisal of long tunnel (length more than 1.5 km) projects.

“Accordingly, it has been decided that henceforth proposals for long tunnel projects on NHs must be submitted to DG(RD)&SS for technical review and obtaining expert advice from the advisory panel well before submitting the proposal for appraisal of SFC/EFC/PIB/PPPAC.

“The proposal must include details of geological/geotechnical/geophysical studies, alignment report, design of tunnel including electro-mechanical works, instrumentation & safety measures during construction and operations, along with cost estimates.”

The NHIDCL engaged M/s Yuksel Proje Anonim Sirketi-Louis Berger, a joint venture (JV) firm, for preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) and pre-construction activities of the Gohpur-Numaligarh Tunnel last year.

The tentative length of the project is 33.7 kilometres, inclusive of the tunnel and the road from Gohpur to Numaligarh. The depth of the tunnel can be gauged from the fact that the top of the tunnel crown is proposed to be approximately 32 metres below the lowest bed level of the river Brahmaputra, which itself is very deep at this stretch.

ALSO READ: NHIDCL awards DPR for Gohpur-Numaligarh Tunnel under Brahmaputra (sentinelassam.com)

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