Uttarkashi tunnel collapse prompts NHAI check, orders at Himachal sites

The Uttarkashi tunnel collapse has brought attention to safety measures being taken at similar construction sites in neighbouring Himachal Pradesh.

On Monday (November 20), senior National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials reportedly inspected several tunnels under construction in Shimla under the Shimla Bypass project and one at Kandaghat in Solan under the Kaithlighat project to check the safety measures and emergency preparedness.

Measures to be taken

They reportedly directed the contractors of the NH-5 four-laning project in Shimla to make an inventory of the machinery at hand that can be used in an emergency. The NHAI regional manager of Himachal Pradesh, Abdul Basit, reportedly spoke to several tunnel construction workers and asked after their well-being and whether they were facing any safety issues.

Shimla project director Anand Dahiya, who accompanied Basit, was quoted by media reports as saying that the regional manager had directed the contractors, Singla Infra and Aerif Construction Pvt Ltd, to take all possible safety measures to avoid an incident like the Silkyara tunnel collapse in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district, where rescue operations entered the 11th day on Wednesday (November 22).

According to media reports, the contractors were told to keep a vertical drilling machine ready at the construction sites, enhance lighting inside the tunnels under construction, improve the communication systems, have in place extra tubes for carrying fresh water and oxygen inside the tunnels until the work was completed, and keep the contact numbers of all nearby hospitals and emergency numbers handy.

Focus on workers’ health

Special care has to be taken regarding the workers’ health. All workers must be medically checked regularly and an ambulance with paramedical staff must be present outside the tunnels round the clock. A WhatsApp group of all workers has reportedly been created to ensure that help can be sent at once in an emergency.

While 70 men are engaged at the Kandaghat tunnel site, some 200 men are reportedly working on the three Shimla bypass tunnels. According to the report, Basit also directed for regular mock drills to be held at each site to ensure the preparedness is foolproof.