Dehradun/New Delhi, April 17 -- A major breakthrough in increasing the rail and road connectivity of Char Dham in Uttarakhand to the rest of India through the Himalayan terrain has been achieved, with a breakthrough in the Silkyara Bend-Barkot Road tunnel section with the completion of excavation from both sides. As many as 41 workers were trapped for over two weeks in the under-construction tunnel in 2023. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present on the occasion to witness the tunnel breakthrough.

Vaishnaw called it a "historic moment" as the breakthrough coincided with the anniversary of start of rail service in India on April 16, 1853.

The 4.531-km Silkyara road tunnel is...