Janjgir: The 75-hour-long rescue operation to save an 11-year-old child Rahul Sahu who fell in the borewell at Pihrid village in Janjgir Champa district of Chhattisgarh has reached its final moments with officials saying they are barely three feet away from the child. On Friday, Rahul fell into the 50-feet deep borewell located in the backyard of his house.
The biggest ever rescue operation has been underway in Chhattisgarh since then. On Sunday, after the failure of the first phase of the robotic rescue mission, the work on digging the tunnel was started. The NDRF team has been working to build a tunnel to reach Rahul. Sources said they are just three feet away from Rahul.
"There is a rock in between that has become a final obstacle. A special drill machine has been procured from Bilaspur. It is being excavated. But drilling work is being done with great care to ensure Rahul remains safe," official sources said. They said that while Rahul's movement has slowed down, the rescue team is hopeful that he is fine and will be okay after immediate medical attention.
The rescue team is, however, wary of the weather. In Pihrid, there has been a thunderstorm and storm-like weather with strong winds. Electricity service may be affected because of that. For this, a generator has been arranged to keep the power system smooth. The medical staff at the rescue site has been put on alert mode with full preparation. Ambulances have also been prepared. As soon as Rahul is taken out, he will be taken to the hospital. It is being said that a green corridor will be built for Rahul from Janjgir Champa to Apollo Hospital in Bilaspur so that he can reach the hospital as soon as possible.
Also read: Toddler rescued from borewell in 40 minutes in Gujarat
Collector Jitendra Kumar Shukla, Superintendent of Police Vijay Aggarwal including Army officers, NDRF, SDRF, SECL along with district administration officials, have been overseeing the rescue operation. Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel has issued strict instructions to officials not to take a hasty decision or be careless while carrying out the operation. The CM in a late-night tweet said: "Your (rescue teams) rock-solid determination has been pulverizing the rocks. Rahul will be taken out from the borewell safely with your tireless efforts and dedicated service".
Baghel also gave instructions to Collector Janjgir-Champa as well as Collector Bilaspur to make arrangements to shift the child to the hospital the moment he is taken out of the borewell. The first phase of the Robotic Rescue operation was unsuccessful, thereafter the work of digging the tunnel began. Assistance was taken from the SECL officials of Kusmunda and Manendragarh to build the tunnel.
