Tunnel reopens to public traffic after controversy

Karwar: After days of objections, protests, and political debates, the district administration has decided to reopen the tunnel route in the city for public traffic. However, this move comes with a condition – the tunnel is set to undergo technical inspection on October 8th.

The project director of the National Highway Authority has been directed to suspend traffic in the tunnel that connects Karwar to Binaga on National Highway 66 and arrange for a third-party inspection. Due to the workload, the NHAI informed that the technical inspection will be conducted by experts on Monday, with the inspection date fixed for Oct 8th. The initial restriction notification has been lifted upon the request of the project director of the National Highway Authority, who emphasized the importance of allowing traffic through the tunnel for the convenience of road users and to prevent any inconvenience caused by the inspection delay.

It has been declared that the Project Director of the National Highways Authority will bear responsibility for any incidents in Tunnels 1 and 2 up to October 8 . The district administration has issued a directive stating that no further correspondence will be entertained regarding this matter.

During the rainy season, concerns were raised due to rainwater leakage and other safety issues inside the tunnel, leading the district in-charge minister, Mankal Vaidya, to order its closure in the interest of public safety. He also instructed NHAI to issue a tunnel safety certificate for reopening. However, confusion surrounding the safety certificate resulted in public objections to resuming traffic through the tunnel.

In recent days, there have been persistent demands to reopen the tunnel, accompanied by political controversies. A significant struggle took place on September 29th, led by MLC Ganapathi Ulvekar, to reopen the tunnel. The DC visited the spot and sought two days time̤.

Presently, the tunnel has been cleared of any obstructions, allowing for half of the traffic during morning hours. On Monday evening, the district administration issued an order permitting traffic through the now-reopened tunnel.

--