When the Government sanctioned this project, they had clearly stipulated the necessity of an escape passage, a way out in case of emergency was mandatory. As per government guidelines, such emergency exits are recommended for every tunnel exceeding 1.5 km in length.
PC Nawani, the former director of the Geological Survey of India, emphasizes that managing projects of this nature without escape routes is impractical. The entire incident could have been averted had proper precautions been taken. But anyhow, the truth was, the workers were trapped indeed. How could they be rescued? This marked the beginning of “Operation Zindagi” [Operation Life].
