Tunnels being built in Uttarakhand to be reviewed: CM Dhami

Dehradun: All tunnels being constructed in Uttarakhand will be reviewed, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Thursday after drilling began at the Silkyara tunnel with a heavy duty machine to rescue 40 labourers trapped there for four days.

“The NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited), which comes under the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, was monitoring the tunnel even after its construction. We need such tunnels and many of them are under construction. However, for the future, we will review wherever such tunnels are being constructed,” Dhami said, replying to a reporter’s question here.

The chief minister was asked whether there will be an inquiry into the irregularities that have surfaced in the construction of the tunnel after parts of it caved in on Sunday.

“We are studying the carrying capacity of our towns. Alongside that we will also review the tunnels being built in the state,” he said.

Several tunnels are to be built in the hill state as part of the ongoing Rs 12,000-crore Char Dham allweather road project.

The Silkyara tunnel, portions of which collapsed on Sunday morning following a landslide, is also part of the ambitious project. 

Uttarkashi Tunnel collapse: Survivors would need physical and mental rehabilitation, say doctors

The workers trapped in the collapsed under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand would need both physical and mental rehabilitation upon being rescued, doctors advised.

A total of 40 workers are trapped in the underconstruction tunnel on the Char Dham route that collapsed four days ago.

The labourers are safe, and oxygen, electricity, medicines, food items and water are being constantly supplied to them through pipes, officials said on Wednesday.

This incident could be traumatic for the survivors as they are likely undergoing mental strain along with physical stress, doctors said. The victims might experience panic attacks because of being trapped in closed spaces for long, said Dr Ajay Agarwal, director, Internal Medicine, Fortis Hospital, Noida.

“Further, the ambient conditions such as oxygen and carbon dioxide levels too could impact their physical health and prolonged exposure to cold underground temperatures could possibly cause hypothermia and make them fall unconscious,” Agarwal told PTI.

Hypothermia is a condition in which the body fails to regulate its temperature in response to external temperatures and thus, begins to lose heat faster than it’s produced and therefore body temperatures plummet to subnormal levels. (PTI)