Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, on Wednesday, fulfilled his promise to construct a big temple of Baba Baukhnag at Silkyara Tunnel opening where 41 workers were trapped one-and-half years ago.

Dhami had bowed and prayed before the deity during rescue operation for the trapped road construction workers of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRT) seeking his blessings at the mouth of under construction Silkyara Tunnel on Yamunotri and Uttarkashi Road while  attending the breakthrough ceremony of the tunnel and consecration function of the Baukhnag temple.

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The other side of the tunnel was finally opened one-and-a-half years after the trapped workers were rescued in 2023. The workers were safely rescued after their 17-days ordeal inside the tunnel. They were trapped inside as the tunnel rooftop crumbled down due to a landslide over its first opening. Notably, the Prime Minister’s Office was directly monitoring the rescue operation of the trapped workers.

Paying obeisance to Baba Baukhnag, the chief minister prayed for the safety of the travellers while passing through the tunnel in future. Along with Dhami, rescue officials and team members had sought the blessings of the deity after they learnt that a temple of Baba was relocated by the construction firm from the site where tunnel bore was to be started. Locals had alleged that the Silkyara Tunnel disaster happened   due to the wrath of the deity.

During the Silkyara rescue operation, the chief minister vowed to construct a temple dedicated to Baba Boukhnag following the successful rescue of the trapped workers. As promised, he took part in the pran-pratishtha (consecration) ceremony of the temple and prayed for the prosperity and well-being of the state and its people from the deity.

“The rescue operation was successful only after Baba Boukhnag was placed at the tunnel’s entrance,” he said,

Silkyara Tunnel is an important project for the Chardham Pilgrimage that will reduce the travel distance for Gangotri bound devotees to a substantial extent. The cost of the double-lane 4.5 kilometers tunnel is approximately ₹1384 crore. It will reduce the distance between Gangotri and Yamunotri Shrines by 25 kilometers. The project is expected to boost trade, tourism, and employment opportunities in the region and strengthen the local economy.

“The breakthrough in opening the other side of the tunnel is not a mere success of advanced engineering but a living example of belief and dedication. The Silkyara tunnel rescue operation was the longest and complex exercise in the world. It was a test of technical dexterity and human resolve” said Dhami.

He announced that Silkyara Tunnel will be named after Baba Boukhnag and the Boukhnag Temple site will be developed as a tourist destination. Apart from this Dhami promised upgrading the Primary Health Centre at Genwala–Brahmkhal to a larger  Community Health Centre and construction of one helipad near Syalna in the honour of the deity.