100 injured as train collides with two people in tunnel in Chamoli: Work on THDC power project was underway, workers from Bihar, Jharkhand involved

More than 100 labourers were injured when two people trains collided with each other at around 9 pm on Tuesday inside a tunnel built in the THDC hydroelectric project area at Pipalkoti in Chamoli district. Of these, 5 are in critical condition. At the time of the accident, around 110 engineers, employees and labourers were on board the trolley, who were returning after completing their shifts. Of the injured, 70 have been admitted to the district hospital in Gopeshwar and 17 to Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti. As many as 66 injured have been discharged after initial treatment. Four workers have been admitted to the district hospital. At Vivekananda Hospital in Pipalkoti, 18 workers were given first aid and sent home. The 21 workers were not injured and they left the spot. Most of the injured are from Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand. There was chaos at the spot after the incident, after which all the injured were pulled out and rushed to the hospital with the help of other staff. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami spoke to the district magistrate of Chamoli over phone and took stock of the matter. The chief minister directed that all the injured be provided the best medical facilities and referred to higher hospitals if needed. According to DM Saurabh Kumar, who reached the spot, the accident took place while changing shifts. The incident has nothing to do with Indian Railways. It is said that one of the trolleys was going inside the tunnel with luggage when its brakes failed and it collided with another trolley. After the collision, both the trolleys overturned. PHOTOS... The accident took place on the TVM side of the project area. The collision was so severe that many labourers fell inside the train and sustained serious injuries, although most of the workers sustained minor injuries. After the incident, an atmosphere of chaos was created inside the tunnel itself and the project management immediately reached the spot. All the injured have been rushed to the hospital. What is the Vishnugarh-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project? Work started in 2013 The Vishnugarh-Pipalkoti Hydro Electric Project is located in the Chamoli District of Uttarakhand. The project is being built on river Alaknanda, which is a major tributary of the River Ganga. The construction of Vishnugarh-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project started around 2013-2014 when the project was awarded to EPC companies along with civil works and land acquisition. After this, gradually the construction of large structures like dams, tunnels and power houses began. The capacity of the project is 444 MW The main objective of the project is to generate electricity. For this, a 65-metre-high diversion dam has been constructed in the river, which will carry the water to the turbine in a controlled manner. The total capacity of the reservoir is 3.63 million cubic meters, out of which about 2.47 million cubic meters will be utilized for power generation. In the project, a tunnel and pipeline system has been built to transport water to the power house. These include 3 intake tunnels, 3D-silting chambers, head race tunnels, search shafts, and 2 pressure shafts. The power house has two underground holes – the machine hole and the transformer hole, where turbines and transformers will be installed. The total capacity of the project is 444 MW. It will lead to generation of approximately 1657 million units of electricity annually. 13% of this electricity would be given to the state of Uttarakhand free of cost and 1% would be used for local area development. Many technical works were completed Many technical works were completed in the project in the year 2025. The construction of DT liner (lining strengthening water pipes) was completed in Unit-2 on 16th January 2025. Subsequently, on 22nd February 2025, EOT crane was extended to Unit-1 for easy transportation of heavy machines and equipment to the power house. Ongoing extension of TRT lining and service two Presently, extension of TRT lining and service two is in progress in the project. At the same time, installation and testing of turbines and transformers in machine holes and transformer holes are also in progress. All these works are in line with the project target to be commissioned by December 2026. The power shortage in North India will be solved The project will also provide benefits to North India in terms of power deficit, employment generation, education, health, tourism and wildlife conservation. The project is targeted to be completed by December 2026.