The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), in an official statement on Wednesday, November 22, said it will undertake a safety audit of all 29 under-construction tunnels across the country to ensure safety and adherence to “highest quality standards.”
"NHAI officials, along with a team of experts from Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) as well as other tunnel experts, will inspect the ongoing tunnel projects and will submit a report within seven days," the statement said.
NHAI also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL) for a period of two years. Under this agreement, KRCL will support NHAI projects in review design, drawing and safety aspects related to tunnel construction and slope stabilisation along with conducting safety audits of tunnels. In addition to this, KRCL will organise training programmes for capacity building of NHAI officials.
NHAI had signed a similar agreement with DMRC in September 2023 as well to provide services for reviewing planning, designing, construction and maintenance of tunnels, bridges on national highways.
The 29 under-construction tunnels have a total length of about 79 km. Twelve tunnels are located in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jammu and Kashmir, two each in Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, and one each in Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Delhi.
The statement by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) comes in the backdrop of the collapse of under-construction Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi on November 12.
The rescue operations have intensified at the Silkyara tunnel collapse site where 41 workers remain trapped. About 67% augur drilling has been completed, authorities said.
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami earlier on Wednesday expressed his hope on the outcomes of the evacuation process. "The auger machine is working today. I am hopeful that all the workers will come out safely."
Meanwhile, local officials say some "big news" could be out today or tomorrow.
