Overview

• The Detailed Project Report has been completed and, according to an Assam official, will be placed before the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure for approval soon.
• NHIDCL is the implementing agency, with the DPR prepared by the road transport ministry and technically appraised by NHIDCL’s Project Appraisal and Technical Scrutiny Committee.
• The National Board for Wildlife’s standing committee has given a conditional nod, asking for scientific studies on soil stability, groundwater flow, sediment dynamics and seismic risks.
• The provisional project length is 33.7 km, including approach roads, with the tunnel crown proposed about 32 metres below the river’s lowest bed level.
• The initiative is estimated at ₹6,000 crore, construction is envisaged to take five years after award, and officials cite defence and connectivity priorities for the location.