Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said all under construction tunnel projects in the state will be reviewed.

His statement to review tunnel projects assumes significance in the light of the collapse of Silkyara-Barkot tunnel on Yamunotri Highway in which 40 construction workers have been trapped for more than five days.

The Chief Minister said: “The assessment of load carrying capacity of the hill towns in the Himalayan state is already being done. Now this exercise will also incorporate revision of the tunnel projects across the state.”

Dhami said that the Prime Minister’s office (PMO) is directly monitoring the rescue operation of 40 trapped workers inside the Yamunotri Highway tunnel at Silkyara Village. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to him and sought feedback on rescue works at the site.

Meanwhile, the tunnel construction nodal agency and Central government PSU National Highways and Infrastructure Development Company Limited (NHIDCL) has informed that escape passage works to evacuate the trapped workers have reached the halfway mark.

A bulletin issued by the company said that four pipes measuring 22 meters have been placed while a fifth pipe is in progress. “Excavation with shotcreting of 40 meters of the collapsed tunnel is under progress, cavities formed 10 meters above the crown on both left and right sides and chimney formation started along the tunnel,” said the NHIDCL bulletin.

The tunnel construction nodal agency informed “all the stranded workers are safe as communicated by them.water, food, oxygen, electricity all are available with the workforce trapped inside the tunnel. Small food packets have also been pumped inside the tunnel through one pipe with thf compressed air. The confirmed the receipt of food items.”

As many as 40 tunnel workers are trapped inside the tunnel that crumbled owing to the landslide on November 12 early morning. They have not been able to come out for more than five days despite rescue operations being monitored by the PMO from Delhi and experts from multiple national and international agencies on the ground.