Jan 2028 Target For Completing SLBC Tunnel: Uttam
Lt Gen. Singh, drawing on his experience with the Atal tunnel, stressed that ventilation, redundant systems, and documentation of methodology were vital for deep tunnelling works: Reports
HYDERABAD: The Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project, stalled after this February’s collapse in the inlet section of the tunnel near Srisailam dam, will be completed by January 2028, and a target of tunnelling through 175 metres of rock each month has been set, irrigation minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has said. Of the 44-km-long tunnel, the balance of work remaining is for about 9 km.
The minister, who chaired a high-level review meeting on SLBC tunnel at the Secretariat on Wednesday, said Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy will hold a review meeting on the SLBC tunnel project on Thursday.
The newly-appointed adviser to the irrigation department, Lt Gen. Harpal Singh, who also assumed charge on Wednesday, was among those who attended the meeting, which reviewed geological surveys, restoration strategies, and safety measures for resumption of tunnelling.
Lt Gen. Singh, drawing on his experience with the Atal tunnel, stressed that ventilation, redundant systems, and documentation of methodology were vital for deep tunnelling works.
Wednesday’s meeting set a target of January 2028 for completing tunnelling with excavation from the inlet and outlet sections of the tunnel to proceed at 175 metres per month. “We cannot afford another setback. Every precaution must be doubled, every protocol enforced without compromise,” Uttam Kumar Reddy said.
Officials informed that once the work resumes, it will require more intensive oversight, and work would be carried out in three shifts. This project will also be now used to train young irrigation department engineers in tunnelling, and help them develop long-term expertise in tunnel construction. There will also be a third-party quality assurance.