Following a safety audit and health examination, work on the Uttarkashi tunnel will resume. Plans are already in place to resume construction as the country exhaled with relief after all 41 workers trapped in the collapsed Silkyara tunnel, part of the ambitious Char Dham project, in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, walked out after 17 days in the dark.
Before beginning work on the 4.5 km long Silkyara tunnel project, a senior official from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) told news agency PTI that a safety audit of the tunnel would be conducted and necessary repairs would be made.
This time, the official promised, every safety measure would be taken to guarantee the tunnel’s security.
The rescued workers are being evaluated medically in a hospital in the interim. After their ordeal, they had health examinations, and it is stated that their condition is stable. Additionally, their mental health is being observed.
The following are the most recent details regarding the triumphant conclusion of the rescue mission in Uttarkashi:
- The 4.5-kilometer Silkyara tunnel project, a crucial part of the Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road, is scheduled to move forward following a thorough safety assessment and any required repairs, despite the collapse. The goal of the Rs 12,000-crore project is to guarantee continuous access to Uttarakhand’s four holy towns: Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.
- A six-person expert committee has been appointed by the Uttarakhand government to investigate the reasons behind the collapse. MoRTH will think about assembling a panel of its own to look into this further.
- The collapse of the Zojila Tunnel could have been caused by a number of factors, according to Project Head Harpal Singh, including subpar geological research, poorly planned ground support systems, errors made during construction, and insufficient supervision and control. He recommended that all highway and rail tunnels be designed with escape tunnels running parallel to the main tunnels.
- Following their evacuation, the 41 rescued workers were airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh for a medical examination. The employees are undergoing mental health assessments and are being closely watched.
- Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, greeted the rescued laborers and gave them each a Rs. 1 lakh check. An incentive of Rs 50,000 was declared for every specialist in rat-hole mining that participated in the rescue effort. He was also spotted having fun and dancing with the workers’ families who had been rescued.
