Nepal, Aug. 20 -- Nestled in the rugged hills of Palpa, the Siddhababa Tunnel-one of Nepal's ambitious national pride projects-is steadily taking shape, with construction progress inching close to 60 percent. Once complete, the tunnel is expected to transform travel along the busy Butwal-Tansen section of the Siddhartha Highway, long notorious for its treacherous curves and landslide-prone terrain.

At present, the focus is on tunnel lining, with concreting of floors and walls moving ahead briskly. "We have achieved 59.73 percent physical progress and 51.01 percent financial progress," said Project Chief Krishna Raj Adhikari. He added that 1,089 meters of the tunnel's floor has already been completed, along with nearly a kilometer of wall...