PESHAWAR, May 30: Army soldiers and paramilitary forces have been deployed on the surroundings of newly-constructed Kohat tunnel, which will be opened for traffic on June 10, officials said.

President Gen Pervez Musharraf will inaugurate the 1.9-kilometre-long Kohat subway on June 10, which has been constructed with the cost of Rs6 billion.

Sources said that security had been beefed up in the Frontier region of Dara Adamkhel, some 35 kilometres from here, and the army soldiers had cordoned off all approach roads on both sides of the subway.

Contingents of the Frontier Corps and police have been stationed on hilltops and sealed the entire area to avoid any act of terrorism.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has financed the project. The contract was awarded to a Japanese firm, Taisi. The tunnel will improve communication links between northern and southern parts of the NWFP.

The sources said that the National Highway Authority (NHA) was planning to install its own grid station near the subway to avoid power fluctuation. Recently, the NHA had installed two powerful generators for the tunnel to run the hi-tech equipment installed in the subway.