Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand): The operation to rescue labourers stuck in the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi has been on hold since Friday when a US-made auger machine deployed to drill and push in pipes through the rubble to prepare an escape passage for the trapped workers developed a snag.
Another high-performance drilling machine airlifted from Indore in Madhya Pradesh arrived in Silkyara on Saturday where its three parts will be assembled before it is deployed for drilling, officials on the spot said. Meanwhile, the number of workers who have been trapped inside the tunnel since Sunday has been revised to 41.
The NHIDCL, which is constructing the tunnel through Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd, came to know about this discrepancy on Friday. According to an earlier list issued by the NHIDCL, 40 workers were trapped inside the tunnel after a part of it collapsed at around 5.30 am on Sunday. Deepak Kumar from Muzaffarpur district in Bihar was identified as the 41st person to be stuck in the tunnel.
A team of officials from the Centre including Additional Secretary, MoRTH Mahmood Ahmed, Deputy Secretary, PMO, Mangesh Ghildiyal, Varun Adhikari, Geologist Engg, and engineering expert Armando Capellan have arrived in Silkyara to do an on-the-spot review of the rescue operations. By the time the operation was halted on Friday afternoon, the heavy-duty auger machine had drilled up to 24 metres through the rubble spread over a 60-metre area inside the tunnel.
Around 2.45 pm on Friday, during the positioning of the fifth pipe, a loud cracking sound was heard in the tunnel after which the rescue operation was suspended, a statement issued by the NHIDCL late on Friday night said. The sound created panic in the rescue team. The pipe-pushing activity was stopped after an expert involved with the project warned about the possibility of further collapse in the vicinity.
The tunnel is part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government being constructed under the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a meeting with officials at his official residence in Dehradun to take an update on the rescue operations at the tunnel in Silkyara.
Families of trapped labourers turn restless
However, with the rescue operations at the tunnel entering seventh day, families of the stranded labourers are getting desperate. People who have come to Silkyara from different parts of the country waiting for the safe evacuation of their kin raised their concerns about their well being saying their voices sounded feeble when they talked to them on Saturday.
"All we are getting is assurances from the authorities that the trapped labourers will be rescued. It is nearly a week since they got trapped," a teary-eyed Haridwar Sharma whose younger brother Sushil Sharma is among the trapped workers told PTI. Sharma, who has come from Rohtas district of Bihar, said the health condition of the stuck labourers is worsening.
"There is no work going on inside the tunnel. Neither the company nor the government is doing anything," Sharma said. Maharaj Singh Negi from Kotdwar whose brother Gabbar Singh is among the trapped labourers said he is losing patience and hope with every hour. "I could not talk to my brother. He sounded very weak. He was hardly audible. The rescue work in the tunnel has come to a halt. Those trapped are also short of food and water. We have come to the end of our patience. What more can I say?" he said.
The health condition of the men counting the hours inside the dark tunnel is worsening and his family back home getting increasingly panicky, said Haridwar Sharma, whose younger brother Sushil is among those inside the tunnel. "All we are getting are assurances from authorities that the trapped labourers will be rescued. It has been nearly a week," Sharma, who is from Bihar's Rohtas district, said.
There is no work going on inside the tunnel. Neither the company nor the government is doing anything. The company says a machine is on the way, he added tearfully. Among those waiting is the family of Gabbar Singh Negi. His two brothers, Maharaj Singh and Prem Singh, and son Akash Singh have been camping outside, desperate for any sliver of news that comes their way. The family belongs to Kotdwar in the state. Maharaj said he spoke to Gabbar through a pipe used for supplying oxygen and his voice sounded very feeble.
"I could not talk to my brother. His voice sounded very weak. He was hardly audible. Rescue work in the tunnel has come to a halt. Those trapped are also short of food and water. We have come to the end of our patience. What more can I say?" Maharaj said. Their brother Prem said the trapped workers are beginning to lose hope. "Gabbar said he is alright but his voice is feebler now. They are getting light edibles like chana, kheer and badam. How long can they sustain on this? Work has been stalled for 30-32 hours inside the tunnel," Prem said.
"India has gone digital. They talk about the success of India's Chandrayan mission but they cannot evacuate our people trapped for around a week." Gabbar's son Akash Singh echoed his uncles. "His voice was low. Though he said he was alright so that we don't get worried. His low voice said it all. No work is going on inside the tunnel. There are no engineers inside, only people who send food and water through a pipe to the trapped workers from time to time are there," Akash said. (With Agency inputs)
Also read:
- Uttarakhand tunnel collapse Day 7: IAF deploys C-17 to airlift critical equipment for rescue operations, PMO team on spot
- What could have prevented the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse? This geologist has an answer
- Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Top official admits lapse, says absence of hume pipes making rescue efforts difficult
