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No coordination between Central agencies & State administration in Silkyara: Naithani

Friday, 17 November 2023  | PNS | DEHRADUN

The Uttarakhand Congress has alleged that there is no coordination between the Central agencies involved in the rescue of the stranded workers in Silkyara and the State administration. Interacting with the media persons after returning from Silkyara in Uttarkashi, senior leader of State Congress Mantri Prasad Naithani said that the situation is horrendous and the government has no accurate plan for the safe evacuation of the stranded workers. He claimed that the agencies involved in the operation have no plan B or C in case the plan to evacuate workers by digging an escape tunnel fails.

 Naithani said that the workers have been trapped in the tunnel since Sunday morning and with passing time their life is under threat. Accusing the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) of gross negligence the Congress leader and former cabinet minister claimed that it is not for the first time when debris have fallen in the under construction  tunnel but the company paid no heed and took no precautions. If a safety audit was done before digging the tunnel then why was the work not monitored, he questioned. Naithani also blamed the work execution agency for laxity and poor quality of the construction.

The Congress leader said that the family members of the workers are asking as to why they were not given holiday on Deepawali. He said that the NHIDCL has handed over the construction work to a company which has a poor track record and it has also further sublet the work. Naithani claimed that the company given the task of constructing the tunnel in Silkyara is also involved in the Rishikesh- Karnprayag rail project. He said that the past record of the company and poor quality of work in Silkyara also raises questions on the mega rail project where tunnels constitute a major portion of the distance between Rishikesh and Karnprayag. Naithani demanded that  the safety audit of all the tunnels being constructed in Uttarakhand should be done again.

 The Congress leader said that the minister in charge of Uttarkashi has not gone to the accident site yet which shows the seriousness with which the government is taking the accident. He said that the patience of the relatives of the stranded labourers is fast waning due to the delay in the rescue operation. Naithani appealed to the President of India to take cognisance of the issue and direct the government to save the lives of the labourers.

 The vice president of State Congress Mathura Dutt Joshi, spokesperson Sheeshpal Singh Bisht, Amarjeet Singh and Rajesh Chamoli were also present on the occasion.

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