Silkyara tunnel project to continue after safety audit

New Delhi: The 4.5-kilometre-long Silkyara tunnel project in Uttarakhand, which is part of the Central government's strategic 900-km 'Char Dham Yatra All Weather Road', will continue after the necessary safety audit and repair of the broken structure, a senior road ministry official said on Wednesday.

The ambitious Rs 12,000-crore project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns -- Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath -- in Uttarakhand.

A rescue team on Tuesday pulled out all 41 workers trapped under the collapsed portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency operation that hovered between hope and despair for almost 17 days.

"In fact, the safety audit of the Silkyara tunnel will be conducted. Meanwhile, efforts will be made to repair and rectify the broken structure. The necessary precautions will be taken and the 4.5 km long tunnel project will continue," the official who was part of the rescue team said.

Project head of Zojila Tunnel Harpal Singh said there could be several possible reasons for the collapse of the Silkyara tunnel.