The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) received Rs 37 crore for construction of a tunnel at Laxmi Dungri, a reserve forest in Sambalpur district, official sources said.
The tunnel's objective is to check disruption of traffic movement due to landslides on NH-53 connecting Mumbai and Kolkata.
Project director, NHAI, Sambalpur, K. Nageswar Rao said the geotechnical survey for the construction of the tunnel is underway.
Stating that the plan and design will be prepared once the survey is completed, Rao said the tunnel will be constructed on one section of the four-lane highway.
If everything goes according to plan, work will commence by September, he said, adding that the primary objective of the tunnel is safety of passengers travelling on NH-53.
Laxmi Dungri has experienced several landslides, which have impacted traffic movement on NH-53 since September 2007.
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