Skip to main content

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* 

As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023.
The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.
As per the PIB release issued on November 13, 2023, the construction of the 4.5 km long tunnel between Barkot and Silkyara at Dharashu bend close to National Highway 134 in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand was taken up by the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) in March 2018 at a total cost of Rs 1,383 crore. The two-lane bi-directional tunnel is part of controversial Char Dham Pariyojna (CDP) or All Weather Road Project. It is being built by National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
The main purpose of the tunnel is to connect Yamnotri and Gangotri valley to facilitate travelling during pilgrim season. Once built, the tunnel passing beneath the Radi pass is to reduce the 25.6 km long road journey to 4.5 km through the tunnel.
To develop the tunnel the NHIDCL in June 2018 signed Rs 853.79 crore contract agreement with Navyuga Engineering Company Limited (NECL) a Hyderabad based company on Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) mode. The construction work started in July 2018 with a completion target of July 2022. As of November 2023, about 56 percent of the total work has been done and completion deadline is extended to May 2024.

The disaster

Around 05:30 am on November 12, 2023, when the 40 workers were carrying reprofiling work between 260 meter and 265 meter inside the tunnel from Silkyara side, about a 55 meter portion between 205 meter to 260 meter collapsed. The portion on the other side of this collapsed portion was still incomplete, so there was no way to get out from the other side.
In a video interview Shashi Chauhan, a mechanic of NHIDCL told the The Indian Express that there were more than 40 workers working in night shift inside the tunnel. The shift was about to end at 08:00 am. Some of the workers managed to come out when the incident happened and about 40 workers were trapped inside. The mechanic further stated that the workers are safe and in contact through walky-talky. They have a free space of about 400 meter and are being supplied oxygen, water and food.
The workers were first contacted in the intervening night of November 12-13, 2023 and rescue operations continued on November 15 and beyond. A worker present at the site during the incident is quoted in Amar Ujala report as saying that they were removing the muck with an excavator and loader when the portion of the tunnel collapsed.
The report further writes that initially the debris fell down slowly which was not taken seriously before the entire tunnel was blocked suddenly. As per the report about 3 to 4 workers managed to save their lives and the rest were trapped inside. Quoting another worker who witnessed the incident, the report mentions that normally 65-70 workers are engaged in a 12 hour long shift and construction work is happening round the clock in two shifts. Apart from NECl, there are three more companies Sri Sai Construction, Nav Durga and PB Chaddha which have employed the workers in the project.
Possible reasons behind the incident
So far, there is no official reasons given, explaining the causes behind the incident. A few media reports have quoted experts citing some possible factors that may be responsible for the incident.
As per Dr Ranjit Kumar Sinha, Secretary, Disaster Management, Uttarakhand, the collapse occurred due to pressure of loose rock materials above the affected portion. “It looks that the affected area is comprised of soft rocks and there is a fault. I am told that rib installation, rock vaulting and primary lining had been done there. Despite that, due to soft rocks and loose materials it collapsed”, Sinha stated while briefing the media persons after inspecting the spot on November 13, 2023. He further stated that treatment of the affected portion would be done but first priority is the rescue operation.
In the Down To Earth report, geologist Naveen Juyal has raised questions over geological and geotechnical surveys of the project. As per him the tunnel location is close to the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the area is earthquake prone. “If the surveys are conducted sincerely, these facts must have been covered. The question is what precautionary steps the construction company had taken on these facts,” stated Naveen Juyal demanding a through probe in DPR of the report.
The report also quoted scientist Ravi Chopra, who was chairman of the apex court committee to monitor the violations in CDP work stating that geological surveys are essential before starting such projects but these surveys require time as well as money but the governments want to complete the projects with the least amount of money and in shortest time resulting in Silkyara like incident.
“Scientists said the Silkyara tunnel is being built in an area comprising lime rock (sedimentary rock), making it prone to recurrent collapses”, reads The Times of India report. The report further quoted Geologist SP Sati explaining two potential reasons for this collapse. One being the possibility of a blind shear zone that was not previously reported and the other being the use of explosives for tunneling. In another debate program, SP Sati stated that the incident appears to be a result of compromised tunnel construction safety protocols.
Quoting a ‘detailed report’ from NHIDCL, the ANI report says, “On November 12, breaking work was started from Ch 260m to Ch 263m for the next patch of work. Around 5:30 AM, collapse occurred from Ch 205m to 260 meters where re-profiling was completed. 40 workers based on contractor tunnel entry register were trapped inside the tunnel”.
However, when we contacted Shri Prem Chand, DGM, NHIDCL, Dehradun Office for the ‘detailed report’ he stated that there is no such ‘detailed report’ on the issue. We neither found any press release on the issue on NHIDCL website. In fact, Anshu Manish Khalko, Director Admin & Finance, NHIDCL in a video byte to ANI stated that inside terrain is fragile and facing reoccurring collapse.
Questions on probe panel
The state government on November 12, 2023 constituted a six member probe panel from various government department to investigate the reasons behind the incident. The panel is headed by Director, Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre (LMMC), Uttarakhand. The LMMC is set up only a year back as an autonomous body under the Societies Registration Act, 1860.
However, during formation of LMMC, experts had found the body engineer-driven and ignoring the crucial role of geologists. Moreover, the panel is comprised mainly of government departments and lacks any independent expert member and also any representative of labour union.

Careless approach & construction practices

Among the available information, Varun Adhikari, an Engineer Geologist in his brief but comprehensive blog, categorically underlines the troubling trend of poor workmanship and a lax approach to tunneling practices. As per him, the tunnel project was further subcontracted to another agency for excavation and lining from the Silkyara portal.
Expert team carrying out survey at hill top of the tunnel
The blog reveals two crucial points: 
“1. During excavation, the required tunnel profile was not maintained, necessitating reprofiling during secondary lining for final shape and support. 2. Reprofiling during lining was carried out in a haphazard manner, overlooking the rock class in the specific zone and neglecting the proper removal of primary supports with high-impact hydraulic hammering or blasting. This was done without adequately assessing the potential damage to the surrounding rock mass.”
The blog sums up: 
“The collapse at Silkyara is indicative of a classic case of unprofessional tunneling practices and negligence toward essential tunneling principles. It highlights the importance of maintaining diligence in adhering to proper procedures, especially in reprofiling and utilizing hydraulic breakers or minor blasting, with due consideration of the tunnel’s specific conditions and potential consequences on the surrounding rock mass. A comprehensive review of the incident should inform future tunneling projects to prevent a recurrence of such lapses and improve professional conduct.”
Similarly, there are reports suggesting that the excavated portion of the tunnel was not covered with safety ducts and hume pipes were not laid in vulnerable spots inside the tunnel. Colonel Deepak Patil who had till recently worked as General Manager, NHIDCL to develop the project is quoted in a local report stating that he had a plan to use hume pipes at vulnerable spots but no one had realized that something of this scale could happen there. It is worth mentioning that the same potion of tunnel had also faced a small scale collapse in 2019 delaying the construction for some time.

No plan for emergency rescue operation

The entire episode has also highlighted a complete absence proper rescue plan from either NHIDCL or NECL to deal with such emergency situation. Adequate machineries and equipment to carry out the rescue work in swift and efficient manner were not available at the site for initial more than 16 hours.
The rescuers felt the need of a vertical drilling machine which only reached the site from Haridwar late in the night of November 12, 2023. All through the November 13, 2023, the rescue team kept removing the landslide debris and applied shotcrete method to stabilize the affected portion.
Given the constant pouring down of loose rock materials, the vertical drilling machine proved of no help and plan was made to use auger drilling machine to insert 900 mm diameter steel pipes through the rubble to evacuate the trapped workers.
Arranging the machine and the pipes to the site from Dehradun and other places have taken another day. As per the latest development the launch pad for the auger drilling machine has been built by noon on Nov 14 2023 and the machine has started working by 09:00 pm on Tuesday.
However, on Nov 15, 2023 morning, NDTV reported that after the rescue officials had spent hours preparing a platform for the auger drilling machine to insert steel pipes through the rubble, a landslide on Tuesday (November 14) night forced them to dismantle the machine & the platform. In an update, the state disaster response force said that work is on to set up a new drilling machine again.

Migrant workers & native people paying high price

The disaster has also emphasized on the miserable plight of workers engaged in such risky infrastructural projects in a hostile terrain. The incident has occurred on the day of Sunday amid festive Diwali season when people generally are entitled to work offs but the workers in the project were working in a 12 hours long shift.
The construction company had no accurate information about the exact number of workers trapped inside the tunnel as it first stated that 36 workers were trapped but later on the number reached to 40 as shown in a list issued by the administration.
Surprisingly, the 40 workers are mostly migrants belonging to 7 different states including 15 from Jharkhand, 8 from Uttar Pradesh, 5 from Odisha, 4 from Bihar, 3 from West Bengal, 2 from Assam and 1 from Himachal Pradesh. There are only 2 workers among the trapped ones from Uttarakhand, the site of the project.
Some family members of the affected workers have complained that the company did not inform them about the incident in time and they came to know about it through news channels. They also appeared unsatisfied with slow pace of rescue operation. There is no information whether the project workforce is covered under insurance scheme and provided health care facilities and adequate salary.
In the past, local people have accused the construction company for employing migrant workers in large numbers and native people in least number though the project is impacting them most and huge number of Uttarakhand people migrate for work.

Environmental norms violation

The entire All-Weather Road Project has been carried out in gross violation of environmental norms as the government had broken down the 889 km long road widening project into 53 segments to bypass the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) mandatory for 100 km long road projects.
The Barkot-Silkyara tunnel is also part of CDP and has gone through no EIA or any other credible environmental scrutiny processes to assess geological and other threats. The work on the tunnel was carried even when the Supreme Court had stayed CDP work in February 2019 until the final judgement.
In the past, the local people have also protested against the project for irresponsible dumping of tunnel muck and excessive blasting work. The construction company has been found dumping the tunnel debris in and around perennial and seasonal streams of Yamuna River in the region severely impacting the drinking and irrigational water supply.
The local people have also accused the company for conducting blasting work during night hours in a geologically sensitive and wildlife rich areas resulting in drying up of water springs and making human habitations vulnerable to disaster.

Some recent tunnel accidents

The Barkot-Silkyara tunnel disaster has only added into the list of tunnel accidents that have taken place in the Uttarakhand in recent past be it for road, railways or hydro power projects.
Only last week, 44 workers had narrow escape after a fire broke out inside the under-construction railway tunnel at Nagrasu in Rudraprayag district in the evening of November 05, 2023. The tunnel is being built by Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) for Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway project.
Before this, about 114 workers were rescued after the under-construction railway tunnel was flooded at Shivpuri, Srinagar on August 14, 2023. The tunnel is part of Rishikesh-Karanprayag railway project and being developed by Larsen & Tubro company. The workers were trapped in chest deep water 300 meter inside the Edit-2 tunnel of the project.
Early in August 2023, the state govt set up an expert panel to examine the water leakage problem inside the Tambakhani tunnel on the Gangotri NH in Uttarkashi. In September 2023, questions on construction quality of the tunnel were raised after seepage occurred inside the tunnel for several days throughout August 2023.
Interestingly, the 370-metre-long tunnel was built costing around Rs 13 crore and since its construction 10 years ago, more than Rs 15 crore has been spent on the lining and drainage work inside the tunnel but huge quantities of water continue to leak from the tunnel walls. Same month the approach road of Chamba tunnel faced land subsidence activity near Guldi village in Tehri after a gap of about two years.
Similarly, the Tapovan-Vishnugad HEP tunnel has been affected by seepages since 2009 and the flooding of the tunnel & the project during February 2021 Chamoli disaster resulted in death of over a hundred workers.
---
With South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People. Source: sandrp.in

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor*  Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Four J&K MLAs visit Wular lake, pledge support to fisher community, environmental conservation

By Shamim Ahmed*   In a historic meeting that highlighted both environmental and social concerns, four Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) visited Wular Lake to meet with the fisherfolk community, signaling a significant step in addressing their longstanding issues. This gathering, organized with the support of dedicated advocates, marks a strengthening of efforts to both safeguard the lake’s ecosystem and support the community’s welfare.

Supreme Court’s dismissal of PIL on Covid vaccine safety is counter to known science and mathematics

By Bhaskaran Raman*  On 14 Oct 2024, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on the side-effects of the Covid vaccine. In 2021, the world saw the rollout of various Covid vaccine candidates. In India, Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield were rolled out. Covishield was nothing but Oxford’s AstraZeneca relabelled in India. The importance of open-minded and scientific probe of Covid vaccine safety In 2020/2021, all Covid vaccines were authorized for emergency use, which meant that the necessary efficacy and safety follow-up was incomplete at that time. The originally approved trials – called randomised controlled trials (RCT) had a “vaccine” group and a “placebo” group for comparison. Such experimental comparison/control is the cornerstone of the scientific method – which even children learn in photosynthesis experiments in class-1. The vaccine trials were scheduled to conclude in late 2022/early 2023. For instance, Covax...

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.