Trapped workers on brink of rescue as tunnel breach progresses

24 Nov 2023 CW Team

After enduring a rollercoaster of emotions vacillating between hope and despair for more than 11 days, the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel were on the brink of rescue late Wednesday. The multi-agency operation, focused on horizontal drilling for the past two days, successfully breached a significant portion of the debris obstructing the path.

The US-manufactured auger drilling machine, which had malfunctioned on November 16, causing a temporary suspension of horizontal drilling, was reactivated. Its mission was to insert 900mm pipes into the debris up to a distance of approximately 60 meters, creating a passage for the workers to crawl through and exit safely. As of the latest report on Wednesday, rescuers had breached around 45 meters of the debris, leaving only a 15-meter distance to complete the drilling.

A source involved in the rescue operation informed that the auger machine encountered an obstacle around 6 pm, prompting a temporary drilling halt. "NDRF personnel entered the escape passage to inspect the hurdle. After a manual examination, they identified a metal object blocking the way. They are currently addressing the obstacle using a gas cutter. Once resolved, the machine will resume drilling to push pipes into the remaining section," explained a member of the rescue team.

To facilitate safe passage for the rescue teams operating within the tunnel, an escape passage was established by placing box culverts and hume pipes over a length of 67 meters, as reported by an official from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the agency overseeing the tunnel project.

Bhaksar Khulbe, former secretary to the Prime Minister and current adviser to the Uttarakhand government overseeing the operations, expressed optimism, stating, "I have spoken to the men, and they are all in high spirits. If everything goes as per plan, they will see the light of day on Thursday."

Infrastructure Transport

15 Sep 2025

Cabinet Approves Key Highway and Rail Projects in Bihar Region

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the four-laning of the 84.2-km Mokama-Munger section of the Buxar-Bhagalpur high-speed corridor, a key industrial region in poll-bound Bihar. The Cabinet also sanctioned the doubling of the 177-km Bhagalpur-Dumka-Rampurhat railway line, which passes through Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal, at a cost of Rs 31.7 billion.The Rs 44.5 billion highway project will be constructed under the hybrid annuity model, a variant of public-private partnership. The Mokama-Munger stretch was the only remaining two-lane section of the 363-km Buxar-Bhagalpur corridor. Fou..

NGT Issues Notice on Bengaluru Twin Tunnel Project

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday issued notices in response to a petition filed by Bengaluru Praja Vedike and others, challenging the Bengaluru twin tunnel road project. Petitioners claim the project was “hastily announced” and bypassed mandatory environmental impact assessment procedures.Notices have been served to the Karnataka Government, Greater Bengaluru Authority, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Bengaluru Smart Infrastructure Ltd (B-SMILE), the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and project consultants.The 16.74-km twin-tube..

India’s Residential Sales to Dip Slightly in FY26

Residential sales in India’s seven major cities are projected to decline by up to 3 per cent year-on-year in FY26 to 620–640 million square feet (msf), amid a moderation in sales velocity, according to ratings agency Icra.In FY25, sales stood at 643 msf, down 8 per cent YoY, following a sharp contraction in new launches and moderated demand in the affordable and mid-income segments. This slowdown came after the sector posted a robust compound annual growth rate of 26 per cent in area sales between FY22 and FY24.Icra noted: “Having seen a strong upcycle, the sector entered an equilibrium ..