{
 "no": 29,
 "id": "case-29",
 "sk": 20231112,
 "year": 2023,
 "date": "12 Nov 2023",
 "cat": "Public safety",
 "sev": "amber",
 "title": "Silkyara tunnel. 41 men trapped by a rushed project",
 "stamp": "Safety questions unanswered",
 "human": {
  "v": "<b>41</b> workers trapped for 17 days inside a collapsed Char Dham tunnel; all rescued",
  "est": false
 },
 "cost": {
  "v": "A marquee project with no working escape passage when it caved",
  "est": true
 },
 "what": "Part of the Silkyara tunnel on the flagship Char Dham highway in Uttarakhand collapsed, trapping 41 workers for 17 days until a dramatic manual rescue freed them.",
 "dodge": "The tunnel had no completed escape passage despite the requirement, and the wider Char Dham project had long faced warnings about cutting fragile Himalayan slopes and thin environmental scrutiny. The near-tragedy was celebrated as a rescue, while the questions of why it happened went unanswered.",
 "ministers": [
  {
   "n": "Nitin Gadkari",
   "r": "Road Transport and Highways Minister"
  },
  {
   "n": "Union environment ministry",
   "r": "Clearances"
  }
 ],
 "pos": "The government hailed the rescue and ordered a safety audit of tunnels under construction.",
 "alt": "Build the mandated escape routes first, respect Himalayan geology and environmental review, and hold the project accountable for the near-disaster, not just praised for the rescue.",
 "sources": [
  {
   "label": "The Hindu on the 17-day Silkyara tunnel rescue",
   "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttarkashi-silkyara-tunnel-collapse-rescue-workers-updates-november-28/article67582045.ece",
   "tier": 2,
   "archiveUrl": "http://web.archive.org/web/20250210184522/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/uttarkashi-silkyara-tunnel-collapse-rescue-workers-updates-november-28/article67582045.ece"
  },
  {
   "label": "Indian Express on Char Dham EIA and escape tunnel",
   "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/citing-cost-time-overrun-uttarkashi-project-said-no-to-separate-rescue-tunnel-9075234/",
   "tier": 2,
   "archiveUrl": "http://web.archive.org/web/20240611071335/https://indianexpress.com/article/india/citing-cost-time-overrun-uttarkashi-project-said-no-to-separate-rescue-tunnel-9075234/"
  }
 ],
 "caseUrl": "https://whoisresponsible.xyz/case/case-29/"
}