DEHRADUN: Moving towards continuous progress with respect to the Silkyara tunnel rescue operation, drilling has been completed from a total of 39 meters to an additional 6 meters by re-drilling with the Auger machine, thus increasing the total to 45 meters.
Authorities anticipate that the task will be finished by early Thursday. Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister and Officer on Special Duty in the Uttarakhand government, emphasized the significance of the upcoming phase as drilling has begun for the next stage of the operation.
Dr Neeraj Khairwal, Secretary of the Government of Uttarakhand and nodal officer for the rescue operation, stated in an afternoon briefing, "Normal cooked food and medicines have been sent to some laborers complaining of constipation. To maintain the mental health of the laborers, they are also being counseled by psychiatrists on a rotational basis". Additionally, they have received personal necessities such as undergarments, towels, and toothpaste.
With 41 laborers stranded for the past 11 days in a portion of the Silkiyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district expected to get out of it, authorities have made arrangements in emergency mode outside the tunnel and at the district hospital. The official engaged in the rescue work believes that if all goes well, the workers will be evacuated by or before the early hours of Thursday.
Uttarkashi Senior Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi told this newspaper, "A temporary hospital has been built in Silkiyara itself, in which eight beds have been set up. There is a helipad about four kilometers away from here, from where workers can be airlifted to AIIMS". A separate 45 beds have also been reserved in the Uttarkashi district hospital.
