Unfortunately, in the Himalayan mountains, we cannot use these machines. Due to the extreme geological conditions. As you have studied in school, the Himalayas are the youngest mountain ranges in the world. At only 40-50 million years old, they continue to grow, resulting in highly sensitive and unpredictable conditions. Consequently, accidents in these areas resulting from extensive construction cannot be solely attributed to ‘Act of God’. Nevertheless, even in challenging situations, people often seek a divine explanation.
Consider this article, where a local resident claims that there was a Baba Baukh Nath’s temple on the site which was removed to make way for the highway construction. He claims that this was the cause of the incident.
Attempts to find a divine cause behind natural or man-made disasters are not unprecedented. In the case of the 2013 Kedarnath floods, some locals attributed the calamity to the relocation of Dhari Devi’s shrine during the construction of the Alaknanda Hydroelectric Project.
During the rescue efforts in the tunnel, where over 200 people were involved, a small temple was constructed at the entrance of the tunnel on November 18th, and rituals were conducted. Interestingly, this initiative wasn’t undertaken by the locals but by NHIDCL, the same company overseeing the tunnel construction. However, neither the temple nor the subsequent rescue operation would have been needed had an emergency escape passage been incorporated as per the original plan.
