Need to balance ecology, economy: Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

Uttarkashi: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Wednesday called for striking a balance between ecology and economy, saying his government had decided to review all such projects after the collapse of Silkyara tunnel.

In an interview to PTI, he said his Diwali came on Tuesday with the successful evacuation of 41 workers trapped inside for almost 17 days.

He said he was as happy as the workers’ families after the evacuation.

“My Diwali, Igas or Dev Deepavali came yesterday when they were evacuated," the CM said, referring also to other festivals celebrated in the state.

The workers were like family, he said. "After all they work for us... for the country." He thanked local deity Baba Baukhnag, multiple agencies involved in the rescue operation, national and international experts and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I have faced several challenges during my tenure as chief minister but this one was the toughest," he said.

He said the prime minister's daily monitoring, and support by providing the big machinery for the rescue gave him great strength.

He praised the trapped workers for showing exemplary patience. Assurance from them that they were alright and prepared to wait while the rescue agencies did their job also strengthened his resolve to have them evacuated safely.

Dhami reiterated that the state government has decided to review all tunnel projects.

"There are several such projects underway in the state. We have decided to have them reviewed. We need development but there should be a balance between ecology and economy," the chief minister said.

Recently, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari too said the government will do a safety audit of all under-construction tunnels.

Rescuers on Tuesday evening pulled out all 41 workers who were trapped after a portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel, part of the Centre's ambitious Char Dham project, collapsed on November 12.

They were taken to a community health centre in Chinyalisaur, where they spent the night under observation at a special ward set up for them. On Wednesday afternoon, they were airlifted to Rishikesh for a medical checkup at the AIIMS there.

Dhami met them at the Chinyalisaur centre, moving from bed to bed to bed and handing over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to each worker. He also announced a Rs 50,000 reward for each rescue worker who went inside the evacuation passage to help the trapped men come out.