Govt plans to drain out water to salvage Silkyara tunnel project

NEW DELHI: In its effort to salvage the Silkyara tunnel project in Uttarkashi, the government has worked out a plan to first drain out the water accumulated in the area where the 41 workers were stuck for 17 days. Delay in pumping the water out can cause more damage to the already excavated portion. Excavation can now be carried out only from the Barkot side.Sources said last week, top officials from the road transport ministry, NHIDCL and Navayuga Engineering, the contractor executing the 4.5 km tunnel projected, deliberated on the issue. They said the contractor told the government agencies that there was an immediate need to drain out water to protect the excavation.A number of options were discussed keeping in mind safety issues. TOI has learnt that as per one of the plans, one worker will be sent inside through the already laid pipe and he will switch on the motor installed inside the tunnel to drain out the water. “The person who goes inside the tunnel will click a photo after switching on the pump. Ministry officials were very particular that everything must be done with full safety and leaving no chance for anything going wrong. All agencies are on the same page to salvage the project considering the progress and investment made so far,” said a source. Sources said the excavation of around 450-500 metres from Barkot would start after the roadmap gets the go-ahead and it would be carried out with maximum safety precautions. They added that due to the recent mishap, the project timeline will be extended beyond May 2024. Work on this project had started in July 2018.