Govt turned a deaf ear to alarm bells on SLBC tunnel, says KTR

Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao has accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and his cabinet of ignoring repeated warnings about the dangers at the SLBC tunnel site, resulting in a tragic accident that claimed eight lives.

KTR alleged that the government willfully overlooked two reports that classified the site as a ‘Red Zone’ and proceeded with the project for financial gains, leading to a massive loss of public funds. He stated that the state cabinet must take full responsibility for both the loss of life and the wastage of thousands of crores in public money.

According to KTR, a 2020 survey conducted by Jaiprakash Associates Limited in collaboration with Amberg Tech AG initially assessed the tunnel site. Later, in 2022, a Tunnel Seismic Prediction (TSP) survey by Amberg Tech AG explicitly identified a fault zone between 13.88 km and 13.91 km of the tunnel. The survey warned of weak rock formations and severe water leakages. KTR emphasised that the recent accident occurred precisely in this identified zone, proving that the government was aware of the risks but chose to ignore them.

Strengthening his claims, KTR cited another geological survey conducted in 2022 by former Director General of the Geological Survey of India, Mandapalli Raju, and Jaiprakash Associates geologist Rituraj Deshmukh. This report highlighted similar concerns, stating that tunnel construction had commenced without a thorough surface condition assessment, further underscoring the negligence of the authorities.

Despite being in possession of these reports, KTR alleged that the government deliberately withheld the findings and allowed the project to continue, endangering workers’ lives. Holding the state cabinet accountable, he demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the disaster under a sitting High Court judge. He also called on the government to release the suppressed reports to the public to ensure transparency and justice for the victims.

However, Jaiprakash Associates, when approached by the media, confirmed that they had seen the report in 2020 but refused to comment further on the issue.