Was the tunnel tragedy in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli, in which eight workers were killed and two others are still missing, avoidable? Those who have worked on the project insist that it was, claiming that dirty water was leaking from the roof before the tunnel got flooded on Thursday evening and that the company failed to take action despite officials being alerted several times.
Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Minister Madan Kaushik visited the site on Saturday and was approached by some workers who raised this issue with him.
Ankush, a worker from Gauchar in Chamoli district, alleged that the company had been negligent.
Photo Credit: PTI
“We place a rib (support arch) to support the roof inside the tunnel. Clean water used to flow from there but we noticed dirty water on Wednesday. We informed our engineers and officials about it. Our colleagues also mentioned that they had reported this. They did not come to inspect it. Instead, they told us the rib was settling,” Ankush recalled.
READ | Death Count In Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse Rises To 8, Search On For 2 Others
The worker said the night-shift crew had also warned them to enter carefully and work with caution because the rib was sinking. Some debris, he stated, started falling around Thursday afternoon and the tragedy took place around 7 pm the same day.
“It is pure negligence, sir – total negligence on the part of the company. I can’t say too much one way or the other. Everyone rushes to the spot only after an incident takes place. Before that, nobody comes to inspect or check anything… some people are just drawing their salaries for doing nothing,” he alleged.
The tunnel is being executed by THDC (Tehri Hydro Development Corporation) as part of the Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project. The actual construction work is being carried out by the Hindustan Construction Company (HCC). Attempts to contact officials from the company proved unsuccessful.
Probe
Chamoli District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said that a magisterial inquiry into the incident would be conducted following directives from Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the disaster rehabilitation minister. He mentioned that orders for the inquiry would be issued soon, after which the causes of the accident and any potential negligence would be investigated.
The tunnel got flooded on Thursday evening after water and debris began entering it, trapping 22 workers. While 12 were rescued, eight have been killed and two remain missing.
“At the THDC tunnel under construction in Chamoli, a sudden surge of debris and water trapped 22 workers who were on duty at the time. Search operations are on. All agencies, including the NDRF, SDRF, and the Uttarakhand government’s district administration, are keeping a constant watch on the situation,” Chief Minister Dhami said.
