Today marks the 10th day since more than 40 workers are trapped within the confines of an under-construction tunnel in the State of Uttarakhand. The mishap took place on November 12 leaving the workers without any route to escape leaving their lives in peril and leaving their families worried about their well-being.
That the workers could not be rescued even ten days after the mishap first took place highlights not only the treacherous nature of the work being undertaken and the dangerous and unpredictable nature of the Himalayas itself.
It was only on Tuesday for the first time that the world outside got to see images of the trapped workers, bringing relief to the families but also raising questions about why it took so long for the rescuers to even establish contact with the workers. The incident has raised questions about the safety protocols being put in place by the contracting agencies and their supervisors.
The dangers of constructing tunnels across the world are well known. From Europe to China and the Americas, construction workers are engaged in drilling through mountains to build infrastructure lines, roads, rails, cables and bridges to hasten travel between once-separated towns and cities.
However, given the risks, construction agencies put safety and escape mechanisms in place. At times, parallel access tunnels are built first before the main tunnel to help in the movement of workers to and from the drilling site. The tunnel itself and the ingress and egress routes are well ventilated, and well lit and every effort is made to ensure that the workers are allowed to work in an atmosphere that is as conducive as possible given the circumstances. This preparatory work not only prioritises worker health and safety but also ensures a quicker completion of the work as workers move faster to and from the site, and also work quicker.
In the case of the Uttarakhand tunnel, it is clear that none of the above safety measures were in place. The lives of hundreds of workers were placed at risk without a second thought about the safety of the workers should something go wrong as is bound to happen especially when drilling the Himalayas. The colleagues of trapped workers who were fortunate enough not to be inside the tunnel when the collapse took place, even held a protest at the slow pace of the rescue operation and the lack of safety systems in place at the construction site.
Questions need to be asked of the drilling agencies and the supervisors as well as of the regulatory bodies who are expected to ensure that the norms, especially safety norms are followed to the last bit being drilled into place.
Unfortunately, workers' lives are considered to be dispensable and often given short shrift. Across the country construction workers, even those on signature government projects are seen working without hard hats and boots and other safety necessities.
It is only now that rescuers have begun exploring alternate routes in an attempt to rescue the trapped labourers. Unless accountability is fixed for those who have shown callous dereliction of duty, workers will continue to be placed at risk leaving their families to grieve over their dead bodies. The next set of workers may not be so lucky.
