Key Points
Preliminary observations of the six-member expert panel on the Uttarakhand tunnel disaster indicated that construction was caught in a 'shear zone' situation and lacked the required escape route or piped passage in case of emergencies, it is learnt...
Project proponents claimed that there was a piped escape passage in place until a few days before the tunnel collapse, but it was removed for some reason, it is learnt...
The 4.531 km '2-Lane bi-directional Silkyara bend-Barkot tunnel with escape passage', including approaches on Dharasu -Yamunotri section, was approved by the Union Cabinet in February 2018...
The idea was to provide 'all weather connectivity' to Yamunotri, part of Uttarakhand's Chardham Yatra, and to encourage regional socio-economic development, trade and tourism within the country, a Press Information Bureau statement from 2018 read...
