Expert committee constituted to investigate reasons behind Silkyara tunnel collapse: Gadkari

New Delhi: The government has constituted an expert committee to investigate reasons for collapse of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand and provide recommendations on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to be followed in case of tunnel collapse/tunnel construction, Parliament was informed on Wednesday.

In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Union Road Transport and Highways minister Nitin Gadkari said framing of guidelines on integration of safety technology into the regulatory frameworks of the highway projects, including those in the Himalayan projects and their upgrade to improve safety to reduce accidents is a continuous process.

“Subsequent to the collapse in Silkyara Tunnel on NH-134, an expert committee has been constituted by the government for investigation of the reasons for collapse of the tunnel and for recommendations in respect of SOPs to be followed in case of tunnel collapse/tunnel construction,” he said.