A fresh landslide has been reported inside the Silkyara-Polgaon tunnel, which is being constructed on the Yamunotri Highway under the Char Dham road project. The landslide occurred around 1.5 km from the Polgaon-Barkot end of the tunnel, causing a significant amount of debris to fall and spread inside the structure.
The incident has raised fresh concerns over the safety of the under-construction tunnel. However, the construction company has denied any immediate danger and said that efforts are underway to clear the debris.
It is worth noting that the tunnel witnessed a major landslide in 2023, when a section around 200 metres from the Silkyara end collapsed, trapping 41 workers inside. The workers were eventually rescued safely after a 17-day-long operation. Despite that incident, instances of debris and landslides inside the tunnel have continued.
Debris Falls 1.5 Km Inside Tunnel
The landslide was said to have occurred near the Polgaon-Barkot end of the landslide, at a distance of almost 1.5 kilometres. Shri Ram, who is the project manager for Navayuga Engineering Limited, noted that debris had fallen into the under-construction tunnel and that workers had been assigned the task of clearing it up.
However, the project manager brushed aside fear of any direct threat from the incident.
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Construction Started In 2018
Construction of the Silkyara tunnel was started in 2018, with its original completion time slated for 2022. Work, however, got delayed because of technical problems with the tunnel, and finally the tunnel was commissioned in 2024.
Presently, about 90 per cent of the civil work has already been finished, and the tunnel is expected to be finished by March 2027. It is 4.5 long and is the longest road tunnel in Uttarakhand that is presently under construction.