‘How was leak overlooked?’ Uttarakhand Congress chief demands probe into Pipalkoti tunnel tragedy

THDC executive director Verma said authorities had lowered the water level by around 1.5 metres and were continuously increasing the number of pumps.

NEW DELHI: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Ganesh Godiyal on Saturday criticised the Pushkar Singh Dhami government over the Pipalkoti tunnel accident in Chamoli district, questioning how a reported leak at the site was allegedly overlooked despite workers claiming it had persisted for some time. The criticism came as the death toll in the under-construction THDC tunnel accident rose to eight, with two workers still trapped and rescue operations continuing.Godiyal said workers injured in the accident had told him that water leakage had been occurring at the same spot for a considerable period before the tunnel was inundated by a massive surge of water.“When I spoke to the injured, I learned that a leak had been occurring for quite some time at the very spot where the incident took place. How this was overlooked or why there was such apathy towards it is a matter for further investigation. NTPC provided Rs one lakh, but that amount is insufficient. I will discuss what arrangements can be made to ensure the families can sustain themselves properly,” Godiyal told ANI.He also questioned the compensation announced for the families of those killed in the accident.“The CM announced compensation of Rs four lakh, though I believe that amount is not sufficient,” he said.Congress leader Harikrishna Bhatt echoed the criticism, saying the compensation did not reflect the value of human life and calling for safety audits across all ongoing infrastructure projects in the state.“Regarding the announced compensation of Rs 4 lakh, a human life cannot be valued at merely Rs 4 lakh,” Bhatt said.“Safety audits should have been conducted for all such ongoing projects. The entire population of Uttarakhand is bearing the brunt of these disasters which are man-made. There is a need for a thorough analysis to determine what actual interests the people of Uttarakhand have in these large-scale projects,” he added.The death toll increased to eight on Saturday after rescue teams recovered another body from the tunnel. Two other workers remain trapped inside the under-construction THDC tunnel, where operations by the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, District Disaster Response Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police are continuing.Rescue efforts have been complicated by water and accumulated sludge inside the tunnel, restricting movement and slowing the search for the remaining workers.THDC India Limited executive director Ajay Verma said the massive inflow of water appeared to have originated from a pre-existing natural cavity.“Regarding the leakage and the massive influx of water in the tunnel, it appears there was a pre-existing natural cavity. During the rainy season, this cavity filled with water. The volume was so great that it found a weak point, specifically where we were excavating the tunnel from below, leading to the leakage,” Verma said.He described the scale of flooding as unprecedented for a hydro-tunnel project.“The inflow consists mostly of water, with very little debris. Historically, such a massive influx of water, enough to fill the tunnel for a stretch of 1.2 kilometres, is unprecedented in hydro-tunnel projects. This level of leakage is highly unusual and unexpected. It is a matter requiring investigation,” he added.Verma said authorities had lowered the water level by around 1.5 metres and were continuously increasing the number of pumps.“We have managed to lower the water level by about 1.5 meters. We are continuously increasing the number of pumps in operation. Running these pumps requires laying pipelines and ensuring a power supply; we are managing all these tasks simultaneously,” he said.