Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Efforts to rescue 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel of Uttarakhand reached the final stage on 24 November. Tunneling expert Arnold Dix said that drilling work had to be stopped late last night after the auger machine broke down. However, former PMO advisor Bhaskar Khulbe said, “The situation is quite fine right now”.
Big updates till now
- Bhaskar Khulbe, a former advisor to the PMO, said, “The situation is quite fine right now. Last night we had to work on two things. First, we had to reorganize the platform of the machine and then cut the little pressure that was on the pipe. The work is going on. Once this is completed, we will start the process of auger drilling. The study done by Parsons Company with Ground Penetration Radar has shown us that there is no metal obstruction for the next 5 meters. This means that “Our drilling must be smooth.”
- Dr. Rohit Gondwal, one of the psychiatrists at the rescue site, told PTI, “We are planning to provide ludo, chess and cards to help the workers relieve stress. The operation is getting delayed and it seems It will take some more time. He said that all 41 employees are fine but they need to remain healthy and mentally fit.
- According to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lieutenant General (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, the horizontal drilling operation to rescue the stranded workers may face some more hurdles. Hasnain stressed that given the unpredictable and challenging nature of the task, it would be difficult to predict the time frame for the rescue operation.
- Hasnain further said that 41 ambulances, one for each stranded worker, are deployed at the tunnel site and arrangements have been made to airlift seriously injured workers.
- NDRF DG Atul Karwal told PTI that 41 workers trapped under the collapsed tunnel will be taken out one by one on wheeled stretchers through a large pipe, which is still being drilled to reach.
- “NDRF personnel will go inside through the pipe and once they reach the workers, they will use stretchers to send the workers out one by one,” Karwal said.
- Each worker will be carefully placed on a stretcher to protect his limbs from being scratched by the metal of the welded pipe.
- Syed Ata Hasnain said that there was a report of a possible earthquake, which was of very low intensity on the Richter scale. The special thing was that it was not felt. It is not part of the climate or weather patterns.
- According to the latest media update from the government, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) has resumed horizontal drilling from the Silkyara end to rescue the trapped workers with the help of auger boring machine.
- The rescue operation suffered a setback when a metal object stuck to the girder rib made it difficult to insert the rescue pipe. At 2:30 am, gas cutters were deployed to remove the metal barrier, allowing the pipe to be raised.
- The government has implemented a five-tier action plan to rescue the stranded workers, involving five agencies: Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Satluj Hydropower Corporation, Rail Vikas Nigam, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation. Corporations – each assigned specific responsibilities.
- Located about 30 km from Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from Dehradun, the Silkyara Tunnel is an integral part of the central government’s Char Dham All Weather Road Project.
