Nagarkurnool: Efforts to rescue the eight workers trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district continued on the sixth day on the sixth day on Thursday.
The rescue teams have begun cutting the part of the Tunnel Boring Machine and other obstacles that are preventing them from going to the spot where they can search for the trapped individuals.
Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad said the damaged part of the conveyor belt in the tunnel is expected to be repaired during the day to facilitate the transportation of debris.
“Yes, it's already (gas cutting machines went inside). (Even during) Nights they did some cutting. Yes, it has already started last night,” the official said when asked if the gas cutters started working.
Rescue Underway In Full Swing
Since February 22, teams of the Army, Navy, NDRF, SDRF, Singareni, BRVO, NGRI, GSI and L&T have continued rescue efforts despite heavy water flow and debris blocking the way. The rescue teams further expedited their efforts on Thursday, moving forward with an aim to complete the operation within the next two days. With 5000 liters of water seeping into the tunnel every minute, clearing mud and rocks has become a major challenge in the rescue operations.
Gas and plasma cutters are being used by specialised teams to cut the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) into pieces. Work is also in progress to remove the mud accumulated up to 100 meters, and repair the conveyor belt to help move the soil efficiently. Meanwhile, NGRI experts are also preparing to go inside the tunnel. They are currently assessing the tunnel stability in order to proceed further.
Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the TBM that is struck inside will be cut into pieces by using gas cutters and removed. After this, the Army, Navy, Rat Miners and NDRF teams would make another serious effort to rescue the missing eight persons without compromising their own safety.
Replying to a query, the SP said he could not answer if the trapped individuals would be located today. According to sources some of the workers engaged in the tunnel work have started leaving the place out of fear.
A senior government official said 800 people are working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project out of which 300 are locals while the rest are from states like Jharkhand, Odisha and UP. On the media reports that labourers are panicked after the accident and planning to leave, the official said the initial apprehension will be there among the workers.
“The company had constructed residential camps for the workers. The initial panic will be there. Maybe some individuals want to go back. But we have no reports of workers leaving en masse,” the official said.
Eight personnel working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project were trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed on February 22. The trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar (UP), Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahau, all from Jharkhand. Of the eight, two are engineers, two are operators and the remaining four are labourers.
"CM Should Work Instead Of Blaming Others"
BRS Working President and MLA KT Rama Rao on Thursday criticised Telangana CM Revanth Reddy over the SLBC tunnel collapse, accusing him of rushing the project without expert consultation and blaming others for the failure.
On Telangana CM Revanth Reddy's allegation that the delay caused by former CM KCR is the reason for the SLBC tunnel collapse, BRS Working President and MLA KT Rama Rao said, "If he doesn't know how to work, it's easy for him to put allegations on others. He started the 10-year-old project without consulting the experts and engineers out of greed, and that's the reason 8 workers are trapped there - no one knows if they are dead or alive... I will suggest him to work instead of shifting the blame on others."
"The CM should behave and talk like a chief minister and not a 'cheap minister,' Rao said. (with agency inputs).
