Char Dham highway

Char Dham will go on

Vasudevan Mukunth

Nov 29, 2023 — 2 min read

I feel relieved and happy to learn that all the workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand have been rescued. Their travails over 17 days, as the rescue effort met with obstacles, have been a testament of human endurance. The nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful…
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) November 28, 2023

“One of the greatest rescue missions in history” necessitated by a construction project pushed through at high cost, beginning with the safety and well-being of workers. Madam, what are you celebrating aside from such an event having been a matter of time?

“No government agency was left out. Be it the Health Ministry, the Road Ministry or the Railway Board – all brought their expertise on board. The Department of Telecom too ensured a better communications network at the site,” said Lt. Gen. Syed Ata Hasnain (retired), a Member of, the National Disaster Management Authority, at a press briefing.

The Indian Air Force, the National Disaster Response Force and the Border Road Organisation, along with State agencies such as the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and local administration also came together.

“This could happen only when there are clear instructions from the PM and the PMO,” added Mr. Hasnain.
The Hindu, November 28, 2023

The less time it takes to get all the men out, the faster the need for an accident followed by a rescue will leave the news cycle, and the less effort needs to be expended to force work on the Char Dham highway to continue. (It’s not for nothing that Manipur continues to simmer.) Then again, if push comes to shove, they may just blame it on a contractor, fire him, and move on.

“I won’t send him here [Silkyara] ever again, no matter what,” said Romen Narajari, brother of Ram Poshak Narajari who is one among the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel after a collapse that took place on November 12, on the day of Deepavali. After multiple efforts, all the 41 workers were rescued on Tuesday. …

Rajni has not informed her three children about the mishap that took place with their father till Tuesday. “There were days when I felt like life has ended for us. Whenever I spoke to him over phone, he used to cry and ask about children. I am glad that our miseries ended but I will not let him work out of our hometown, ever again,” Rajni added.
The Hindu, November 28, 2023

Good call – but awful that this is how they find out how much risk their family members are at.

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