Bhatkal: The dispute surrounding the twin tunnels linking Karwar to Binga and vice versa, along with the flyover at Karwar on National Highway 66, persists. Despite submitting the necessary documents to the District Administration, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has not yet authorized the passage. Presently, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) is insisting on a written assurance from the NHAI affirming the safety of the tunnel and flyover for traffic use.

NHAI Deputy General Manager and Project Director N. Harikrishna have penned a letter to the Deputy Commissioner, detailing a meeting held on September 23 with the Deputy Commissioner and MLA Satish Sail. In this, it's stated that all pertinent documents, including the agreement, safety audit, and joint safety certificate, have been furnished to the district administration. Based on these, it's urged that the tunnel be opened to traffic, substantiating its safety.

After scrutinizing the documents, the Deputy Commissioner dispatched a missive to the Project Director at the NHAI office in Honavar on September 26. It requests the NHAI to provide an assurance that in case of any unforeseen incidents after opening the tunnel and flyover to the public, NHAI will bear full responsibility.

Furthermore, the DC has instructed the Project Director of NHAI to submit the accreditation documents of the third-party inspection body, along with details of the Central or State Government officials present during the tunnel inspection. Only after this submission will the closure notification issued on July 8 be revoked.

In the meantime, it's been reported that IRB, the contracting firm for the National Highway Extension project, cleared the barricade of jelly obstructing the tunnel on Tuesday evening. Presently, only a few barricades remain at the entrance. Observing this, bikers have been moving the barricades to proceed through the tunnel.

In response to this development, MLA Satish Sail commented that if NHAI promptly addresses the queries raised by the district administration and promptly provides all the requested documents, the tunnel can be opened without any further delay.