Safety audit, break on work of workers…! Know what will happen next to the tunnel of Uttarkashi accident?

41 laborers were safely evacuated from the Silkyara Tunnel under construction in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand on Tuesday evening. The rescue operation was going on here for 17 days under the supervision of experts from the country and the world. When the operation team along with the machines left on Wednesday, the place looked deserted. The roads near the tunnel which were closed during the rescue operation were opened on Wednesday. However, a team of policemen has been deployed at the spot. The government has ordered a safety audit of the tunnel. The laborers working here have been given a break. In such a situation, questions are being raised that what will be the future of this tunnel?

According to Uttarakhand Government Secretary Neeraj Khairwal, vertical drilling was stopped after success in horizontal drilling on Tuesday evening. Rescue operations were conducted by many agencies of the central and state governments. According to NDRF, 60 personnel were camping at the rescue site. 20 were on standby. On Wednesday all of them were asked to return. A team of rat-hole miners came to the site in the afternoon. They spoke to the media and soon went back.

Let us tell you that this ambitious Silkyara Tunnel project of Rs 12 thousand crore is 4.5 kilometers long. This is an important part of the 900 km long ‘Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road’ project of the Central Government. The project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to the four holy cities of Uttarakhand, Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath. This tunnel is being built by boring a hole in a mountain called Radi between Silkyara and Barkot. However, questions are being raised on the flaws in its construction. No statement has been given yet by the construction agency and the Union Road Transport Ministry in this regard.

‘Work will remain closed for a few days’

A policeman here said that the construction work of the tunnel will remain closed for a few days. According to sources, the work has been stopped. The workers have been given rest for two days. An employee, on condition of anonymity, said he has been asked to rest for two days, after which information will be given by the contractor. An official said the work will be halted until the safety audit is conducted.

‘Rescuers left with the machines’

Since Wednesday morning, rescue team members were seen packing their machines. These machines were brought from different parts of the country to help in the rescue operation. The driver of a truck carrying a drilling machine said, we are happy. Our brothers have come out safely. This is enough. We had brought this machine from Rishikesh.

‘The project work will continue after repairing the broken structure’

A senior official of the Road Transport Ministry said on Wednesday that the broken structure will be repaired. The work on the project will continue after the necessary safety audit. An officer who was part of the rescue team told news agency PTI that necessary precautions will be taken. The 4.5 kilometer long tunnel project will continue. Another senior official of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, on condition of anonymity, said, we will conduct a thorough review of the Silkyara Tunnel project and we will also improve some systems. The official also said that the Silkyara tunnel collapse was an ‘accident’.

‘A six-member committee will investigate’

He said, Uttarakhand government has constituted a committee of six-member experts to find out the reasons for the incident. Later the Road Ministry will decide whether a committee should be formed to investigate the cause of the tunnel collapse or not. Zojila Tunnel Project Head Harpal Singh said, there could be many possible reasons for the collapse of Silkyara Tunnel.

‘What do experts say…’

He said, these could be poor geological investigations, poorly designed ground support systems, mistakes during construction, poor data monitoring and negligence or poor supervisory controls during construction. He suggested that all highway and rail tunnels should be planned with an escape tunnel parallel to the main tunnel.

‘One lakh rupees will be given to the workers trapped in the tunnel’

Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that the workers were working for National Highway Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. The agency has allowed the workers to go home for 15-20 days. The Chief Minister announced that all 41 laborers will be given financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh. The Baukhnag temple will be rebuilt at the mouth of the temple. The tunnels under construction in the hill state will be reviewed. Dhami said, the central government has decided to conduct safety audit of the tunnels under construction.

‘Government will give a reward of Rs 50-50 thousand to rat miners’

Dhami thanked the rat miners who excavated the last 10-12 meters. Miners doing manual digging played an important role, he said. International experts were consulted about the shortest route for the workers to come out. The state government said, those who have worked in tunnel digging will be given Rs 50,000 each.