Rudraprayag administration orders strict safety review for railway tunnels following Pipalkoti tunnel collapse

Rudraprayag : In the wake of the tunnel mishap in Pipalkoti, the Rudraprayag district administration has raised a high alert and directed that safety measures be further strengthened in three railway tunnels under construction in the district.
According to DM Rudraprayag, Vishal Mishra, the incident in Pipalkoti, Chamoli district, where debris entered a tunnel and caused significant damage, has prompted the administration to take precautionary measures.
The authorities have instructed that safety arrangements in the three under-construction railway tunnels in Rudraprayag be reinforced.
Prioritising the safety of workers and employees engaged in the railway tunnel projects, the district administration has called for special vigilance during construction work. Directions have also been issued to review safety arrangements to deal with debris falls inside the tunnels, or any other emergency situation, DM Rudraprayag stated.
The administration has emphasised strict compliance with safety standards, identification of potentially hazardous locations, and the need to ensure prompt relief and rescue arrangements in case of an emergency. Concerned officials and construction agencies have also been directed to conduct regular inspections of the safety arrangements.
Earlier this week, officials said that, on Tuesday, the death toll in the THDC tunnel collapse at Pipalkoti in Uttarakhand rose to nine after rescuers retrieved the body of another missing worker, while the search for one remaining worker continued on a war footing.
According to the Chamoli District Magistrate, the body of one more missing worker was retrieved from the tunnel on Tuesday. The official said the search for the remaining missing worker was continuing on a war footing.
The accident occurred on August 13 at the under-construction THDC tunnel in Hat-Siyasain, Mayapur, Pipalkoti, after a landslide-like event near the Birhi River triggered a heavy surge of water and debris, trapping workers inside.
Earlier, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami ordered a magisterial inquiry into the accident and said the safety of personnel working on construction projects must be the “top priority at any cost”.
The Chief Minister said the inquiry would establish the facts and determine the precautions required to prevent such incidents in the future.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Harikrishna Bhatt called for safety audits of ongoing projects, saying such audits should have been conducted after water and debris entered the tunnel.
Regarding the announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh, “a human life cannot be valued at merely Rs 4 lakh. Safety audits should have been conducted for all such ongoing projects,” Bhatt told News Agency.