Expert committee on Silkyara set up

Expert committee on Silkyara set up

PrashantNews

The centre has set up an expert committee to investigate reasons for collapse of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand and provide recommendations on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed in new constructions of such underground roads.

A portion of the 4.531 km long Silkyara tunnel had collapsed on Nov 12 trapping 41 workers inside which led to an intense day and night rescue operation by multi-agencies. All the 41 workers came out safely on Nov 28.

“Framing of guidelines on integration of safety technology into the regulatory frameworks of the highway projects including those in the Himalayan projects and their up-gradation to improve safety, to reduce accidents and to improve emergency response is a continuous process. Subsequent to the collapse in Silkyara Tunnel on NH-134, an Expert Committee has been constituted by the Government for investigation of the reasons for collapse of the tunnel and for recommendations in respect of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed in case of tunnel collapse / tunnel construction,” said Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.

Significantly, the state government had also set up an expert committee soon after the Siklyara incident.

The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) is constructing the tunnel through Hyderabad-based Navayuga Engineering Companyltd.   The Silkyara tunnel project in Uttarakhand, which is part of the Centre’s strategic 900-km ‘Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road’, aims to improve connectivity to the four holy shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath.

The move to set up the committee came as the centre appeared to be in dilemma whether it should give green signal to the construction company for the resumption of the remaining work.

In 2018, the cabinet committee on economic affairs under Prime Minister Narendra Modi had given approval to the 2-Lane Silkyara-Barkot Tunnel with escape passage. The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL) was the implementing agency and the contract of construction of the Rs. 1383.78 crore tunnel project was awarded to Navyuga Engineering Company. However, the company did not construct the escape passage the reasons for which were not known.

A section of prominent people, including politicians in Uttarakhand have asked the centre to force the company to pay all expenses which have been spent on the rescue operation. A case should be registered against Navyuga company and it should bear all the expenses of the rescue operation, said Indresh Maikhuri, a leftist leader. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi has demanded strict action against the company for failing to build escape tunnel. Ends