As 41 workers continue to remain trapped in a collapsed under-construction tunnel for Uttarkashi's Char Dham road project since November 12, specialists have expressed concerns about the absence of escape routes and insufficient support in the Silkyara tunnel.
The Times of India, quoting experts, reports that escape routes are crucial in long tunnel projects for emergency rescue, and the lack thereof exposes workers to a contaminated environment as gases generated underground are not properly channelled out.
Specialists have also criticised the failure to adhere to safety measures and design principles in constructing the tunnel which is being built in a fragile zone of the Himalayan range, TOI said quoting senior geologists.