Highway authority to audit key tunnel projects across India on urgent basis

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is set to conduct an audit of critical ongoing tunnel projects across the country, with more than two dozen such projects to be reviewed urgently. This decision comes in response to the recent incident in Uttarkashi, in which 41 workers were trapped following the collapse of a portion of the tunnel.

Experienced agencies like the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and other domestic and international experts in tunnelling will be hired to carry out these audits. The key focus of the audits will be safety, ensuring that all tunnelling projects adhere to strict safety parameters to prevent any future incidents. The audits will also assess provisions for rescue operations in case of accidents.