Why in news?

• About 40 workers are trapped inside a tunnel after the under-construction tunnel structure collapsed in Uttarakhand on November 12.
  • The tunnel is a part of the Char Dham all-weather road project which commenced in 2016.
• This has prompted the authorities to launch a mega search and rescue operation.

What’s in today’s article?

• Char Dham all weather road project
• News Summary

Char Dham all weather road project

• It is a highway expansion project to widen 889 km of hill roads to provide all-weather connectivity in the Char Dham circuit.
• The project, envisaged in 2016, covers Uttarakhand’s four major shrines — Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri— in the upper Himalayas.
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News Summary: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse

Silkyara Tunnel Accident

• About the tunnel
  • The total length of the tunnel, which is meant to connect Silkyara to Dandal gaon in Uttarkashi district, is 4.5 km.
  • The double-lane tunnel is pegged as one of the longest tunnels under the Char Dham all-weather road project and aims to reduce the journey from Uttarkashi to Yamunotri Dham by 26 kilometres.
  • From the Silkyara side, 2.3km of tunnel has been constructed, while 1.6km of tunneling work has been completed from the Barkot end. Approximately, a 400m stretch of the tunnel is yet to be constructed.
• The accident
  • The workers are trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel located on the Uttarkashi-Yamnotri Road.
  • The collapse happened about 270m from the entrance of the Silkyara side.
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The rescue operations

• Agencies involved
  • The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the State Disaster Relief Force (SDRF) and the police are among the main figures in the multi-agency rescue operations.
• Current situation
  • As per the officials, the labourers are safe, and are being provided with food, water and oxygen.
    • The people trapped were contacted through walkie-talkies, through which it was learned that all of those trapped were unharmed.
    • As per their request, food was provided through a compression pipe. The distance to reach those trapped is approximately 60 meters.
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