Revanth Reddy reiterates commitment to complete SLBC tunnel project

The Chief Minister detailed that the tunnel work was advancing from both ends, with two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in operation

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday reaffirmed the State government’s commitment to completing the SLBC tunnel project despite the recent tunnel roof collapse.

Speaking to media persons at the project site, the Chief Minister emphasized that the incident would not have any bearing on the fate of the project. He detailed that the tunnel work was advancing from both ends, with two tunnel boring machines (TBMs) in operation.

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The TBM affected by the collapse at the 14-kilometre mark had only five and a half km of boring work left, while the other end had completed 19.5 km, with just three and a half km remaining. Once this segment was complete, the second TBM would be reactivated to finish the project.

Blaming the previous BRS regime for the poor progress over the last ten years, the Chief Minister stated that this would be the longest tunnel project in the world, and claimed that the collapse was a natural tragedy rather than a result of human neglect.

He recalled previous incidents, such as the Devadula project accident and the SLBC hydel station fire, where lives were lost.

The Chief Minister commended the quick response of the concerned Ministers and officials, who reached the site within hours of the accident. For the last nine days, expert teams from 11 organizations have been working tirelessly on the rescue operations, he said, adding that he was closely monitoring the situation.

He acknowledged the efforts of Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, who utilized his defense service experience to mobilize all agencies involved in the rescue mission. The Chief Minister admitted that he would not have been able to mobilize as many agencies if tasked with the same responsibility.

Assuring the families of the missing workers, the Chief Minister pledged government support and announced that the rescue mission would continue if necessary, using robots and sophisticated machinery.