DEHRADUN: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to attend the two-day Global Investors Summit in Dehradun, which begins on December 8, during their meeting on Saturday in Delhi. He also talked about the rescue from the Silkyara tunnel, and the CM showed him some pictures from the evacuation mission.
The CM discussed various issues related to the state and expressed gratitude for including the Jamrani Dam Project in the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana and approving Rs 1,730 crore for the project.
Song Dam Drinking Water Project
He requested clearance for the capital expenditure of the Song Dam Drinking Water Project in the amount of Rs 2,460 crore and the special financial assistance of Rs 3,000 crore for the upgrade of Jolly Grant Airport.
In addition, he proposed the establishment of the All India Ayurveda Institute on the campus of Rishikul Ayurvedic College in Haridwar and asked for Uttarakhand to be included in the Kiwi Feasibility Study, which is being conducted in cooperation with New Zealand. Dhami asked for the Ranikhet-Bhatrojkhan road to be designated as a national highway and requested approval for a number of road improvements totaling Rs 1,000 crore.
Tanakpur Bageshwar Railway Project discussed in meeting
Dhami requested that Modi approve the construction of the Tanakpur-Bageshwar Railway Project as a national project, as well as the tunnel projects in Kumaon: Jolingkong-Bedang (5 km), Sipu-Tola (22 km), and Milam-Lapthal (30 km). In addition, he requested approval for the development and construction of eleven uncontested projects with a combined capacity of 771 MW in Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, and its tributaries, as well as numerous projected hydropower projects on the Dhauliganga and Gauri Ganga rivers in Pithoragarh district.
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Silkyara tunnel project to be restored
The Silkyara tunnel project will be restored after 4-6 months, according to the NHIDCL; mechanical debris removal and crown cavity repair are scheduled; construction and investigation will happen simultaneously; the ministry will determine who is responsible for what and work to prevent similar incidents in the future; and the borehole will be filled after vertical drilling.
Concerns regarding the possible sinking of the Radi mountain are being raised by the Silkyara tunnel project and the current rescue attempt. Overuse of machinery, such as chopping trees and upsetting aquifers, is regarded as a serious environmental hazard. Three of the mountain’s sides have already started excavation, however environmentalists stress that because of the mountain’s porous structure and numerous water sources, caution must be used when handling the excavation. If excavation continues without taking environmental considerations into account, springs may dry up and the geophysics of the area may be greatly affected.
