Safety Review Ordered for All Under-Construction Tunnels Across India After Uttarkashi Mishap

New Delhi: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to conduct a comprehensive safety audit of all 29 under-construction tunnels nationwide to ensure strict adherence to the highest quality standards. This initiative, announced by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), follows the recent collapse of the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi on November 12.

NHAI officials, in collaboration with experts from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and other tunnel specialists, will inspect the ongoing tunnel projects. A detailed report on the safety and quality standards will be submitted within seven days.

The 29 under-construction tunnels, spanning a total length of approximately 79 km, are distributed across various states. These include 12 tunnels in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jammu and Kashmir, and two each in Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, with one tunnel each in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi.

In a strategic move, NHAI has entered into a memorandum of understanding with Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). Under this agreement, KRCL will review the design, drawings, and safety aspects of tunnel construction and slope stabilization for NHAI projects.