Frantic operations are on to rescue 40 workers trapped inside an under-construction part of a tunnel in Uttarakhand after it collapsed about 200 meters ahead of the starting point in the early hours of Sunday. Over 150 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) have been tirelessly working around the clock to reach the trapped workers.
Rescue teams are delivering water, food, and oxygen through pipes and messages of reassurance through walkie-talkie sets to the labourers trapped in the partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand that connects Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Monday. The chief minister, however, said the rescue efforts might take some time.
The tunnel is a component of the Indian government’s ambitious and controversial Char Dham road project which is being overseen by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The initiative aims to extend approximately 900 km of existing national highways that link various Hindu pilgrimage sites in Uttarakhand, including Badrinath and Kedarnath, extending up to the Indo-Tibet border.
Heavy machinery is being deployed by teams to insert a steel pipe with a width of almost three feet through the debris. This width is sufficient for the trapped individuals to navigate their way through, as indicated by the government’s highway and infrastructure company. The current rescue strategy centres around stabilising loose debris through shotcrete (concrete spraying) and inserting a large-diameter steel pipe through the rubble to facilitate the evacuation of the trapped workers.
The continuous descent of loose debris from above is obstructing the excavated area, impeding the progress of the rescue efforts. Therefore, it is crucial to stabilise the situation through shotcrete, as explained by an official involved in the operations.
Secretary of Disaster Management Ranjit Kumar Sinha after visiting the tunnel, mentioned that the trapped labourers might be rescued by November 14 or 15 night.
The government has justified the conversion of these highways into double-lanes, 12-14 meter-wide roads with a paved shoulder configuration for a stretch of 674 km till the border, citing national security concerns and the desire to enhance tourism, amenities, and accessibility.
The Uttarakhand government has formed a six-member expert committee to probe the tunnel accident in Uttarkashi.
Such incidents are common in India as some infrastructure upgrade is always on. In January, a minimum of 200 individuals lost their lives in flash floods in the environmentally sensitive region of Uttarakhand. Experts attributed this disaster in part to overdevelopment.
It needs to be understood that development is necessary but not at the cost of human life.
