KOHAT, Feb 9: The National Highway Authority has asked the Japanese construction firm, Taisei, working on the Rs seven billion Kohat Tunnel project, to replace the emergency systems proposed in the old plan of the project with the latest gadget for the safety of passengers inside the 1.889-kilometre-long tunnel, Dawn learnt here on Saturday.

The NHA plans to send its staff to Japan for training to operate fire fighting equipment, standby generators, supply of water,  emergency repair of vehicles and other  electrical facilities proposed in the project.

Earlier, the tunnel plan had the provision for only fire extinguishers, which were to be used by the drivers in case of emergency. Now there will be a separate staff for dealing with emergency situation inside the tunnel.

The project director, Engineer Pervez Gul, talking to Dawn said that the excavation of the whole tunnel would be completed by the end of March as directed by the NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah to make up for the delay caused due to the absence of the foreign consultants during the US bombardment of Afghanistan.

He said that the installation of equipment, renovation of interior and construction of link roads would take extra one year and the tunnel would be ready for public use by April 2003.