An international tender has been announced for the selection of a service provider to operate and maintain the Nagdhunga–Sisnekhola Tunnel Road.

The Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project issued the notice on Sunday, calling for applications from experienced and competent companies through an international competition.

According to the project office, the deadline for submitting bids is December 17, 2025. Although vehicles can technically pass through the tunnel, it has not yet come into operation due to a shortage of skilled manpower and inadequate security arrangements.

The main tunnel is 2.7 kilometres long, while the emergency tunnel measures 2.6 kilometres. The government has already determined road usage fees (tolls) for vehicles using the tunnel route.

The tunnel features advanced technological systems. However, due to the heavy workload of the Department of Roads and the limited experience and manpower available, it is difficult to operate and maintain the facility.

Therefore, a service provider is being selected through an international competition to manage the operation with specially trained and skilled personnel. The selected service provider will be responsible for operating and maintaining the tunnel for five years. During this period, a sufficient number of foreign experts will transfer technology and expertise to Nepali technicians and managers. This will help ensure that similar structures - such as tunnels and fast tracks - can be efficiently operated in the future with domestic manpower.

As the tunnel will operate 24 hours a day, emergency services must be available immediately in case of accidents, fires, or system failures. The service provider will therefore deploy employees in shifts and establish an emergency response team to ensure timely services.

A total of 150 staff members have been proposed for the operation and maintenance of the tunnel. The team will be led by a Tunnel Operation and Maintenance Chief.

Under this plan, arrangements have been made to have a maximum of 64 employees in the security management unit. After that, there will be 54 employees for toll collection.

Arrangements have been made to have 14 employees for traffic facility monitoring and control, and 8 employees each for civil structure and other structure maintenance.