Sikkim Assembly mourns 11 killed in Namchi tunnel collapse
The Sikkim Assembly on Tuesday observed a two-minute silence to mourn the death of 11 workers after a tunnel under construction in Namchi district collapsed
The Sikkim Assembly on Tuesday observed a two-minute silence to mourn the death of 11 workers after a tunnel under construction in Namchi district collapsed. The tribute was paid at the start of proceedings on the second day of the budget session. Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also expressed grief over the loss of lives and told the House that e gratia assistance would be given to the families of the dead and to the injured under the standard norms of the Disaster Response Fund. He had earlier announced Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of each worker who died and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
He said the state government was closely monitoring the situation and extending all possible support to those affected. Read Full Story Speaker Mingma Norbu Sherpa led the House in observing the silence as a mark of respect to those who died after a tunnel of the NHPC Teesta Stage VI project collapsed at Jhorlunge in Samardung on Monday. He expressed grief over the incident, conveyed condolences to the bereaved families and wished a speedy recovery to those injured. As many as 25 workers, including some project officers, had been trapped inside the collapsed tunnel on Monday. Of them, 11 died, while efforts are underway to rescue the others.
According to an NHPC statement, a sudden burst of suspected methane gas trapped inside the rocks led to the explosion, generating dense fumes and toxic gases. Tamang informed the House that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to him about the incident. He said he had apprised them of the ongoing rescue operations, and that both leaders assured him of all assistance from the Government of India. The House later took up legislative and financial business and passed two bills to establish a state medical council and to facilitate the setting up of a private open schooling board in the state. It also adopted the Motion of Thanks on the Governor's address.
During the financial business, members discussed the General Budget 2026-27. The Speaker said the budget would be taken up for passing on July 23. Later, under the chairmanship of Deputy Speaker Raj Kumari Thapa, the House passed separate demands for grants for 2026-27 for the Public Health Engineering, Water Resources and Ecclesiastical departments, among others. The Assembly session began with mourning for those killed in the tunnel collapse and then moved on to its legislative and budget agenda, while rescue efforts continued and the state government said support was being extended to those affected. Ends With inputs from agencies
The BriefWire