Parliament Winter Session: The Leader of Congress in the Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, cornered the Central government on Tuesday over the issue of the Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand. Speaking in Lok Sabha during the winter session of Parliament, Chowdhury said that the kind of situation that occurred in Uttarkashi could have been averted if the government had been a little patient with those geologists who had earlier red-flagged that these kinds of tunnels could be disastrous.
While speaking in the lower House of Parliament, the Congress leader said that 41 workers were trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarkashi, and that situation still haunts us. He also shed light on the reasons for the incident cited by the experts, which include fractured or fragile rock, water seepage, a landslide-prone Himalayan rock system, a lack of geological and geotechnical studies, an improper study of the CR zone, and a failure to design an escape tunnel.
Chowdhury further stated that rat hole miners were engaged to rescue those labourers at the very last moment. Continuing his attack on the Cetral government, Chowdhury said that the government is still not responding to such an incident, and there is an ambiguity and contradiction in the statement of the media and the statement made by the concerned minister.
“I would like to speak on the Silkyara tunnel rescue. 41 workers were trapped for 17 days in the tunnel. I would also like to report the recent incidents of collapse in the Himalayas taking place… The reasons that have been cited by the experts are fractured or fragile rock, water seepage, a landslide-prone Himalayan rock system, a lack of geological and geotechnical studies, an improper study of the CR zone, and a failure to design an escape tunnel. At the last moment, rat hole miners were engaged to rescue those labourers. I feel that this kind of situation, which took place in Uttarkashi, could have been averted provided the government had taken a little patience with those geologists who had earlier red-flagged that these kinds of tunnels could be disastrous, but the government is still not responding to such an incident,” Chowdhury said, as quoted by ANI.
#WATCH | Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury says, “I would like to speak on the Silkyara tunnel rescue. 41 workers were trapped for 17 days in the tunnel. I would also like to report the recent incidents of collapse in the Himalayas taking place…The reasons… pic.twitter.com/TMRg5fCdYo
— ANI (@ANI) December 12, 2023
Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse
On November 12, the labourers were trapped after a portion of the under-constructed tunnel, part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government, collapsed about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi.
The rescue teams completed the operation, which lasted over 400 hours after continuous efforts, as they encountered several obstacles over the weeks. After the evacuation was completed, ambulances ferried the rescued workers to a community health centre, where a special 41-bed ward had been prepared for their arrival.