Dehradun, September 13: Social activist Anoop Nautiyal has sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention following the August 13 accident inside an under-construction tunnel of THDC India Limited’s Vishnugad–Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, demanding an independent and time-bound expert inquiry and compensation of at least ₹1 crore for the families of workers who died in the incident.
In a letter to the Prime Minister, Nautiyal has also demanded that the ₹5 lakh ex-gratia assistance announced by THDC India Limited for each deceased worker’s family be increased to a minimum of ₹1 crore. He said the proposed amount should be over and above statutory compensation, insurance benefits, pending wages, employment-related dues and all other statutory entitlements.
Nautiyal has also called for a comprehensive support mechanism for affected families, including a proportionate increase in assistance for injured workers and, wherever possible, suitable employment for at least one eligible member of each affected family.
Questions over safety at project site
In his letter, Nautiyal said the August 13 incident should be examined in the context of a series of serious incidents previously reported at the project site.
A flash flood in July 2024 reportedly damaged the project’s batching plant, machinery and associated infrastructure. In August 2025, a landslide at the dam site injured 12 workers, four of them seriously.
On December 30, 2025, two loco trains operating inside an under-construction tunnel at the project site collided. Subsequent official reports put the number of injured at 88.
Nautiyal has argued that the sequence of incidents warrants a comprehensive examination of safety practices and systems at the project.
Independent expert inquiry sought
Nautiyal has called for an independent investigation involving experts in tunnelling, Himalayan geology and disaster management.
According to his letter, the inquiry should establish the immediate and underlying causes of the August 13 accident and assess whether it could have been prevented through appropriate precautions. It should also examine whether concerns raised by workers were acted upon and fix responsibility wherever negligence or non-compliance with applicable rules is established.
He has also said that the responsibility of the principal executing agency should not be diluted through contractual or subcontracting arrangements.
Major civil works, including the principal tunnelling work, have been awarded to Hindustan Construction Company under an EPC arrangement. Nautiyal has therefore called for the company to ensure applicable compensation, insurance, statutory benefits and rehabilitation assistance for affected workers.
Calls for wider Himalayan tunnel safety framework
Nautiyal has argued that the issue extends beyond the Vishnugad–Pipalkoti project and highlights wider concerns surrounding major underground infrastructure projects in the Himalayan region.
He cited the July 20, 2026 accident in an under-construction tunnel of the Teesta Hydroelectric Project in Sikkim, in which 25 people were reportedly killed, as well as the November 2023 Silkyara–Barkot tunnel incident in Uttarakhand, where 41 workers remained trapped underground for 17 days.
According to Nautiyal, these incidents highlight the distinctive geological and operational risks associated with major underground infrastructure projects in the Himalayas.
He has urged the Prime Minister’s Office to consider the immediate demands relating to the Vishnugad–Pipalkoti accident and initiate the development of a comprehensive national safety framework for tunnel infrastructure across the Indian Himalayan region.
Nautiyal’s long-standing concerns over Himalayan development
Nautiyal has for several years raised concerns over the manner in which development is planned and implemented in the Himalayan region. He has particularly emphasised the need to recognise ecological limits, strengthen disaster preparedness and improve institutional accountability.
Through the Making Molehills of Mountains series and other evidence-based documentation, he has advocated a development model that places greater emphasis on scientific assessment, transparency, prevention and community safety.
He said the objective should be to move towards a system that goes beyond relief, rescue and compensation after disasters and instead gives greater priority to prevention, learning and accountability
We are a multimedia news network. Website : www.7xnews.com Based in New Delhi (India)
Youtube : umakantlakheraspeaks@gmail.com
