District admn, NHAI officials check safety measures at Bindrabani Bypass, Saulikhad, Pandoh structures
The Newz Radar
MANDI: Drawing lessons from the Silkyara tunnel incident in Uttarakhand where 41 workers remained trapped for 17 days, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had then announced a safety audit of all 29 under-construction tunnels across the country with officials being directed to ensure adherence to the highest quality standards.
The 29 tunnels span approximately 79 km. Of these, 12 are under construction in Himachal Pradesh, six in Jammu and Kashmir, two each in Maharashtra, Odisha and Rajasthan, and one each in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Delhi.
Continuing with this initiative, a joint inspection committee led by Mandi Additional District Magistrate Madan Kumar inspected three under-construction tunnels in the vicinity of Mandi in Brindavani, Mandi bypass and Pandoh. The committee evaluated safety compliance adopted by the companies for on-site employees and labourers.
The committee gathered information from the company management regarding the emergency plan during any disaster or incident. It also thoroughly examined the lighting system in the tunnel, air quality, the quality of safety equipment provided to labourers and connectivity between the two ends of the tunnels.
The committee interacted with workers about emergency evacuation plans, including the meaning of sounding alarms, designated safe exit route and assembly point after a safe evacuation. Preparations for dealing with any emergency situation and measures taken for the protection and safety of workers were also considered.
The Additional District Magistrate said that following the directives of the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), the committee inspected safety and compliance protocols in the under-construction tunnels on the four-lane stretches in Mandi district. He said that the committee would soon prepare a report on the shortcomings and suggestions found during the inspection and send it to the SDMA, aiming to prevent incidents like Silkyara from recurring.
NHAI Project Director for Kiratpur-Mandi four-lane stretch Varun Chari, who was part of the committee, told TNR that the NHAI had signed a memorandum of understanding with Konkan Railway Corporation Limited (KRCL). As part of the agreement, the KRCL was reviewing design, drawing and safety aspects related to tunnel construction and slope stabilisation of NHAI projects. “The KRCL will also conduct safety audits of tunnels and, if required, suggest remedial measures. In addition to this, the KRCL will organise training programmes for capacity building of NHAI officials. This agreement will remain in effect for a period of two years,” he said.
Other members in the committee included Mandi ASP Sagar Chand Sharma, IIT-Mandi specialist Professor R Prasanna and his associates, Public Works Department Executive Engineer BC Negi and tunnel specialist Himanshu Kapoor. NHAI officials and representatives of companies involved in tunnel construction were also present.