New update:
The tunnel has crossed in Uttarkashi as well as the pipe has reached to the workers. Now soon the work of evacuating the workers will be started. Ambulances have been deployed outside the tunnel. Rescue workers have shown the victory sign. Appart from that, There is chanting of Mata Rani inside. After 17 days, 41 workers comes out from this hell.
Update on Uttarkashi tunnel: Some essential thing such as food and other basic things has sucessfully reached to workers with the help of 53 meters pipe in length.
Dr. PC Navani, former director of NIRM
Dr. PC Navani, former director of the National Institute of Rock Mechanics, said that the zone where the tunnel collapsed was very pale. While building the tunnel, they kept working on the design pattern given to the working construction team. He strongly told that the tunnel accident that happened in Silkyara of Uttarkashi was not natural and it is the result of human error.
Well-known geoscientist Dr. PC Navani has said about Sikyara tunnel accident. He said that if construction team work zone-wise support system had been installed during the tunnel construction,in which they check relevant things such as quality of stone, also this accident would not have happened. He softly said that described tunnel construction as the safest option for the Himalayas.
Condition in Uttarakhand tunnel collapse
After the Silkyara tunnel accident, the number of 40 workers trapped in the tunnel has increased to 41. Last Friday, the rumor that another person was trapped in the tunnel, which was spread throughout the day, was confirmed late in the night. The company management has informed the district administration about Deepak Kumar of Muzaffarpur Bihar being trapped in the tunnel.
The drilling work with the American auger machine was stopped last Friday afternoon. After which till now only 22 meters have been drilled. It is being told that there is a danger of debris falling in the tunnel due to the vibration of the machine. There are cracks there too. On Saturday, when the workers trapped in the tunnel were not taken out after seven days, their patience broke. They again demonstrated against the company officials and demanded to speed up the rescue.
Politics
Congress’s allegations of CM’s election tour and ministers not going to ground zero, BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt said that all the experts and disaster management team who are needed there the most are engaged in efforts there. Former PMO advisor Bhaskar Khulbe arrived. As far as the government is concerned, the CM, Union Minister, local MPs and MLAs all went there to take stock of the rescue operations. The PM himself has taken information about the situation from the CM twice. Bhatt said, the government’s priority is to get all the stranded workers out safely.
BJP state president Mahendra Bhatt has accused Congress of making irresponsible statements on the tunnel accident. Bhatt hit back at the allegations of ministers not reaching the incident site. He said, the experts and disaster management team who are needed most are present there. The team of experts at Ground Zero is engaged in rescue efforts based on experience.
When, where and how ?
This tunnel collapse occurred on 12 November 2023 in Uttarkashi district, when a portion of an under-construction tunnel which is weak, collapsed in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, India. The collapse occurred at around 5:30 am, and it trapped at least 41 workers inside the tunnel. Rescue operations were immediately launched but they do not out yet.
According to the report, the tunnel was being constructed as part of the Char Dham all-weather big road project, and it was located on the Yamunotri National Highway in Uttarkashi. It is planned to be 4.5 kilometers long.
Rescue
According to reports, the American auger machine, which arrived after the tunnel accident has done 30 meters of drilling till Friday morning. It is being told that 5 pipes of 6 meters each have been put one after another in the debris. Further digging of 30 to 40 meters is expected to be somewhat easier. The workers need to drill up to 60 metres to insert 800 mm and 900 mm diameter pipes one after the other with the help of a giant american drill machine.