41 Silkyara tunnel workers may see the light of day in 72 hours

The government hopes to rescue all 41 workers trapped in Silkyara tunnel over the next two-and-a-half days as it resumed horizontal drilling, road transport and highways secretary Anurag Jain said on Tuesday.

“We have resumed horizontal drilling from today, which is the best available option. If all goes well, we hope to rescue all trapped workers in two-and-a-half days,” Jain said while briefing the media on rescue operations in Uttarkashi.

While the government is simultaneously working on five different options to rescue the trapped workers, officials say vertical drilling is much time consuming and hence the second best option in case horizontal drilling is halted due to some obstructions.


“The government is actively engaged in ongoing rescue operations at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers remain trapped,” the ministry of road transport and highways said in a statement.

“Various government agencies have been mobilized, each assigned specific tasks to ensure the safe evacuation of the workers,” it said, adding that the government has been maintaining constant communication to boost the morale of those trapped.

As per the latest statement, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has completed the drilling of a 6-inch diameter pipeline for augmenting the supply of essential items. So far, the essential commodities are being supplied through a dedicated 4-inch compressor pipeline in the 2 km section of the tunnel where these workers are trapped.

Video communication has been established with the stranded workforce, and efforts were made to clear debris inside the pipeline using compressed air and water pressure, the government said.

41 workers got trapped after a portion of the tunnel under construction between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed on November 12.

As part of the Chardham Mahamarg Pariyojana, the road transport and highway ministry has taken up the construction of 4.531-kilometre two lane bi-directional tunnel at Silkyara to join Gangotri and Yamunotri axis under the Radi pass in Uttarakhand and sanctioned the total project cost of Rs 1,383 crore for implementation by the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).