Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse, Rescue Work on Hold as Drilling Machine Dreaks Down

In Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, the efforts to rescue 40 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel faced a setback on Saturday when drilling operations were temporarily halted. According to Anshu Manish Khulko, the director of NHIDCL, the tunnel-making company, the drilling work reached a depth of 25 meters into the debris before being suspended. The workers have been stuck for six days since a section of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel collapsed on November 12.

Khulko clarified that the pause in drilling was not due to any issues with the rescue machine. He explained that the focus had shifted to preparing for the insertion of a pipeline to extricate the trapped workers, a process that has been ongoing for the past three days with only 25 meters of the pipeline laid so far.

The managing director of NHIDCL is expected to arrive at the incident site on Saturday to assess the ongoing rescue efforts and provide further details. Meanwhile, a heavy-duty drilling machine from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, is anticipated to reach the tunnel site later in the day.

The collapsed tunnel, part of the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway between Silkyara and Dandalgaon, occurred on November 12. The National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, responsible for the tunnel construction, reported progress in excavation and shotcreting (concrete spraying) for 40 meters of the collapsed tunnel. A cavity has formed 10 meters above the crown on both sides, and a chimney formation has started along the tunnel, according to a statement released on Friday. An additional shotcrete machine has been relocated to the work site from RVNL Package-lll.

The Silkyara Tunnel, measuring 4531 meters, is a crucial component of the Chardham Project initiated by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Intended to connect the Gangotri and Yamunotri axis under the Radi pass area, the tunnel is being constructed by NHIDCL through Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd at a cost of Rs 853.79 crore.