Green fluorescent jackets shone on their bodies, perfectly matching their beaming countenance, as jubilant officials and workers, donning safety helmets of varied colours, spoke proudly of their achievement. They all had a reason to celebrate.

The team of IRCON International Limited and Abir Infrastructure Pvt Ltd yesterday marked the completion of Tunnel No-14 at Khanikhola at Majhitar near the Bengal border in Sikkim. The 1977-m-long tunnel is the last of the 14 tunnels that will dot the ambitious SevokeRangpo rail project (SRRP) that will include the Himalayan state of Sikkim in the country’s railway map for the very first time.

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The final concrete lining in Tunnel-14 that lies in the Sikkim side in Rangpo SubDivision of Pakyong District was yesterday done in the presence of BK Gupta, the Additional Member Civil Engineering, Railway Board and Chairman Cum Managing Director of IRCON International Limited, along with other higher officials of the Northeast Frontier Railway.

“This is a very important project for the people of West Bengal and Sikkim because this will give the rail head to Sikkim. As the project’s completion target is set for December 2024, we are hopeful that we will meet the target,” IRCON CMD Mr Gupta said.

According to him, there has been an escalation in the project cost and the revised estimate is under process of sanction. “The new estimates could be around 12500 crores,” Mr Gupta said, while also delving into the challenges in the project due to the difficult terrain and poor geological strata. “NF Railway and IRCON are putting in all efforts to complete the project by December 2024, the deadline set by the Hon’ble Minister of Railways,” Mr Gupta said.

According to an IRCON official, the milestone of mining breakthrough of this tunnel was achieved in the month of February last year, and completion of final concrete lining within one year can be taken as a “marvellous achievement” by the engineers involved in this project.

“The mining of this tunnel was completed last year in the month of February, which was marked as the first breakthrough of tunnel in the SRRP, and now this also achieved the credit of being the first in completion of final concrete lining,” the official added.

The tunnel is located in between Kumrek and Khanikhola in East Sikkim region and traverses through challenging geological conditions of the Lesser Himalayas.

The new Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) has been adopted for the completion of the tunnel through challenging and vulnerable groundmass with the supervision of well experienced engineers from India, along with highly experienced foreign engineers in this project, it is learnt.

According to the officials, the track linking work will be the next activity that will start through the tunnel.

“The Rangpo Station to be built just after Tunnel-14 is also under construction, and on completion will be a commercial and tourism hub for the state of Sikkim. This railway project will enhance the standard of socio-economic status of the state. This new rail link project from Sivok to Rangpo is about 45 km long and is characterised by 14 tunnels, 22 bridges and five stations, including an underground station at Teesta Bazaar on the Bengal side. Around 38.62 km of the entire project alignment passes through tunnels, accounting for about 86 percent of the entire alignment. According to IRCON, 76 percent of the total tunnelling work has already been completed. The mining work has been completed at six tunnels and many are on the verge of completion. Till date, 29.3 Km tunnel mining has been completed and final concrete lining is in progress.