The Chamoli district administration has ordered a magisterial inquiry into a collision between two loco trains inside the Pipalkoti tunnel of the under construction Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydropower project in Uttarakhand. The incident left eighty eight people injured, though officials confirmed that none of the injuries are life threatening.
District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar said the accident took place around eight thirty on Tuesday night at the Tunnel Boring Machine site inside the tunnel being constructed by THDC India. A loco train carrying workers for the night shift excavation was nearly two kilometres inside the tunnel when another loco train coming from the opposite direction reportedly lost control and collided with it.
One of the trains was transporting labourers and officials, while the other was carrying construction material. At the time of the collision, one hundred nine people were on board, most of them workers engaged in tunnel construction.
Following the incident, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami directed officials to ensure proper and immediate medical treatment for all the injured. He spoke to the district magistrate and instructed the administration to provide the best possible healthcare facilities.
District Magistrate Gaurav Kumar and Superintendent of Police Surjit Singh Panwar visited the injured at the Gopeshwar district hospital. Officials said eighty four workers were discharged after receiving first aid, while four remain under medical observation.
The district magistrate and the superintendent of police also inspected the project site and sought a detailed report from project officials. They instructed the authorities to strictly enforce all safety measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
After the inspection, the district administration formally ordered a magisterial inquiry to determine the cause of the collision and fix responsibility.
Meanwhile, the Railways clarified that the trains involved in the incident were not part of the Indian Railways network. Officials stated that the vehicles were rail like trolleys used locally within the tunnel for transporting workers, staff, and construction material during the hydropower project work.
The Vishnugad Pipalkoti hydropower project is being developed on the Alaknanda River between Helang and Pipalkoti. Once completed, the project is expected to generate four hundred forty four megawatts of electricity through four turbines and is targeted for completion next year.
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