DEHRADUN: Rescue operations continued for the second day following the collapse of an under-construction Silkiyara tunnel in Uttarkashi.
Rescue teams managed to penetrate the tunnel up to 17 meters. About 33 meters more have to be cleared of debris. However, the trapped workers are safe and they are being provided with eatables, water, and oxygen through pipes.
According to information received from the District Disaster Management Office Uttarkashi, "About 28 meters of debris has been removed from the 60-meter tunnel, there is still 32 meters of debris left."
Relief and rescue teams are expected to reach the trapped laborers by late Monday evening. These laborers are from UP, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha.
On reaching the spot on Monday morning, Chief Minister Dhami directed officials and various agencies involved in rescue operations to carry out relief efforts with high efficiency and full capacity. The CM stressed the need for better coordination and readiness in rescue operations. The CM also assured that all necessary resources and technical support required for the operation are being provided from external sources.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, State Disaster Response Force Deputy Commandant Vijendra Dutt Dobhal said, "Rescue operations are going on day and night. Due to the huge amount of soil and debris, there is a slight delay in reaching the people trapped in the tunnel, but in the meantime, food items are being sent to them through oxygen pipes and through those pipe, the workers trapped in the damaged tunnel are also being talked to in a one-way method".
Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi told this newspaper, "The work of removing the debris to remove the workers trapped in the tunnel is going on continuously, heavy excavation machines have been mobilized to remove the debris." To prevent cracked debris, 'short-creating' is being done with machines. Packets of grams have been sent through compressors to the workers trapped in the tunnel under pressure at night through the oxygen pipeline.
According to the official sources, "As part of the Chardham project, the Silkiara Barkot tunnel project remains an important link for an all-weather seamless connectivity for pilgrims".
ALSO READ | Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: All trapped workers safe, rescue efforts underway; CM Dhami visits site
As of today, vehicles on NH-134 have to pass through a narrow hilly road through thick vegetation of rhododendrons across the Radi Pass for a distance of 25 km. "The journey takes 45 minutes in regular traffic conditions, but the time it takes to cross this section during peak days of the journey can be 90 minutes or more", sources revealed.
District Magistrate Abhishek Rohilla said, "Health department teams are stationed at the tunnel gate with experts and proper medical equipment, ambulances. In case of any adverse situation, hospitals in adjoining districts and AIIMS Rishikesh have been put on high alert and adequate quantity of oxygen cylinders have been stocked for uninterrupted supply of oxygen." "Arrangements have been made to send large diameter hume pipes from Haridwar and Dehradun for rescue work", sources revealed.
As per the information, "The road being covered with snow and frost affected is a nightmare for commuters. Since it had become inevitable to bypass this section, a tunnel was planned below the Radi Pass". The tunnel project, which has been under construction for the last five years, is designed for a length of 4531 meters through an extremely fragile and shear rock level.
