Karwar: Demand for reopening the tunnel route connecting Binaga village to the London Bridge is growing stronger, following its closure two months ago. Four tunnels, each 650 meters long, were constructed for the four-lane National Highway on the city's outskirts, significantly reducing the travel distance to Binaga village from four kilometers to just one kilometer. This improvement would have benefited the National Highway users.

The first tunnel was officially opened on January 6, with the second tunnel following suit on June 5. During a meeting led by In-charge Minister Mankal Vaidya, MLA Satish Sail raised concerns about the IRB Company, responsible for the project, not providing a safety certificate for the tunnel and the road. In response, the minister issued an oral order to halt the use of the tunnel route until the necessary certification was submitted. Consequently, traffic through the tunnel was suspended on July 9, as directed by the former DC.

Kishan Kamble, a BJP activist, expressed discontent over the abrupt suspension of vehicle movement through the tunnel merely a month after its public inauguration. He alleged that the minister and MLA made a rushed decision, causing inconvenience to motorists.

Local activist Chetan Harikantra questioned the rationale behind the tunnel's ban, particularly if the reason was the absence of a safety certificate. He wondered why the minister was not taking action against the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and the IRB Company for their failure to submit the required certificate.

MLA Satish Sail clarified that the deputy commissioner had been instructed to expedite the acquisition of the safety certificate for the tunnel route. The decision to suspend its use was taken as a precautionary measure to ensure safety, rather than for any other unspecified reasons.