Last year, on the day of Diwali festival in Uttarkashi, the Silkyara tunnel accident took place, due to which the Diwali of 41 workers became dark due to being trapped inside the tunnel. One year after the Silkyara tunnel accident, international tunnel expert Arnold Dix spoke his mind. Dix admitted that the Silkyara tunnel operation was based more on trust than technical expertise.
Arnold Dix, who dug the Silkyara tunnel, had made a bold promise that the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara Bend-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand would be rescued safely by Christmas, which raised hopes in every Indian in times of crisis. It was based more on trust than technical expertise.
In an interview given to PTI, expert Arnold Dix mentioned about the Silkyara accident a year later. A year after the miraculous achievement, Dix confessed that there was no record of successful rescue of people, based more on faith than on his technical expertise.
The landslide accident took place in the 4.5 km long Silkyara Polgaon tunnel under construction on the Yamunotri highway in the Chardham road project on the day of Diwali last year at 4-5 am on November 12, when the workers were about to come out on Diwali day after finishing their night shift. 41 workers were trapped inside as the mouth of the tunnel was closed due to the landslide.
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