Villagers live in fear as more houses develop cracks

Dushyant Pundir/ Mahesh Chander Sharma

Tribune News Service

Mandi/Sundernagar, September 24

Though no loss of life was reported, residents of nearby Gamohu village are living in fear after a portion of an under-construction Bhawana- Dehvi tunnel caved in yesterday as the spot has further sunk about four feet today.

Putting the blame on the company, local residents said they had complained in the past that the company was not doing tunnelling operation scientifically. Cracks have appeared in their houses and vibrations were felt during blasts inside the tunnel they said

They said more than 12 houses were unsafe for living, but neither the authorities and nor the company believed them. The land had started sinking and three families had shifted from there along with their livestock. They have demanded that an inquiry should be conducted into the matter.

They would not allow the construction of the tunnel until they were given assurance of safety, they said, adding that they would also not allow any employee of company to visit the village.

Meanwhile, Sundernagar SDM Rajiv Kumar today again visited the Gamohu village and listened to the grievances of the residents and assured all help to them.

He said all necessary arrangements had been made to ensure the safety of the residents. The residents along with their livestock were provided shelter close to their houses. Police personnel along with private security had been deployed around the spot which has been duly lighted and the area cordoned off.

He said estimates had been prepared by the PWD and compensation would be given to affected families.

Panchayat president Reeta Devi said the land above the tunnel caved in as the company did not reinforce concrete in the caved-in portion. As a result, it got loose and gave way. On the other hand, a company engineer maintained that such types of incidents were normal in tunnelling projects. He denied any damage to the nearby houses due to collapse of a portion of the tunnel. He said a team of experts would conduct a fresh survey of the area before resuming work.

The local residents further alleged that the administration was not aware of the quality of the construction inside the tunnel.

Even the police did not visit the spot inside the tunnel where Dinesh Thapa, a resident of Nepal, had suffered serious injuries in the tunnel on September 4. He later succumbed to his injuries. It was only when the matter was highlighted, a case was registered.

The 740-m tunnel, which was being constructed by IL&FS company, was part of the Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane project. The same company was engaged in the construction of the Tihra tunnel in Bilaspur district where three workers were trapped when a portion of the under-construction tunnel caved in on September 11. Two of the three workers were rescued after nine days, while the third worker was still stuck under the debris in the tunnel.

Fortunately, no one was inside the tunnel at the time of the mishap in Bhawana as work had been suspended after a blower of the tunnel had developed technical snag on September 10.