High-level committee to probe NHPC tunnel mishap

BIJOY GURUNG

GANGTOK,: The Sikkim government has constituted a high-level committee to investigate the fatal mishap inside the under-construction head race tunnel of the NHPC Teesta-VI hydel power project, which claimed the lives of 25 workers.

The bodies of all 25 workers have been retrieved by the search teams from the NHPC project tunnel at Samardung, Jholungey in Namchi district, with the search and rescue operation concluding on Thursday.

A suspected methane gas explosion occurred about 1.5 km inside the tunnel on the afternoon of July 20, quickly filling the area with debris and toxic fumes. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang-Golay, after visiting the site, announced that a high-level inquiry committee would be set up to examine the reasons behind the mishap.

The Home department on July 22 notified the constitution of the high-level committee to inquire into the causes and circumstances leading to the explosion inside the tunnel and to suggest remedial measures to prevent a recurrence.

Sikkim Police IGP (Law & Order) Tashi Wangyal heads the four-member committee, with DIG Tenzing Loden Lepcha serving as the member secretary. The other members are State Mines & Geology principal director Phigu Tshering Bhutia and additional director Keshar Luitel.

The committee has been tasked with ascertaining the exact cause, nature and sequence of events leading to the explosion-like incident and the subsequent gas build-up inside the tunnel. This includes determining whether it was caused by blasting, a methane or noxious gas pocket, equipment failure, or any other reason.

Regarding safety protocols and compliance, the committee will examine whether all safety norms, standard operating procedures (SOPs) and statutory provisions under the Mines Act, 1952, Tunnel Safety Guidelines and Explosives Rules, 2008, were being followed at the time of the incident. This includes examining the ventilation systems, gas detection mechanisms and use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

The committee will also assess the adequacy and functioning of gas detection sensors, ventilation fans and emergency exhaust systems inside the tunnel, and determine the type and source of the gas involved.

The committee has been directed to submit its report, along with its findings and recommendations, to the competent authority within 15 days.

Meanwhile, sustained and coordinated efforts by multiple rescue agencies of the State and Union governments have completed the mission to locate and retrieve all 25 bodies from the tunnel. The deceased workers were from different States, including 11 from West Bengal and one from Sikkim. The bodies have been shifted to hospitals in Singtam, Namchi and Gangtok for the necessary medico-legal procedures. The identified bodies have been handed over to their respective families.