The process of removing the auger blades from the rubble Aat the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue was underway even before the new machine arrived at the tunnel site in the early hours of Sunday.
Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: The Indian Air Force (IAF) airlifted critical DRDO equipment on Sunday to expedite the rescue of 41 workers who have been trapped inside the collapsed portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi for over two weeks. The IAF aircraft flew in the equipment to Dehradun, from where it was transported to the rescue site by helicopters. The DRDO equipment includes a special robot that will be used to locate the trapped workers and assess their condition, as per a report carried by news agency ANI.
“Responding with alacrity to the requirements of the ongoing rescue operation, late last evening the IAF flew in critical DRDO equipment to Dehradun. #HADROps,” the IAF stated in its official release. Earlier, on Sunday, a plasma-cutting machine was flown to the tunnel site from Hyderabad to cut through the Auger drilling machine and its stuck blades from inside the tunnel.
Process Of Removing Auger Blades Continues
The process of removing the auger blades from the rubble was underway even before the new machine arrived at the tunnel site in the early hours of Sunday. Meanwhile, a safety umbrella was thrown around the Silkyara tunnel, where 41 workers have been trapped for two weeks now, official sources said, adding that the umbrella ensures the protection of the rescuers.
Also, as part of efforts to relieve the stress and anxiety of the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has stepped in to provide them with a landline through which they can talk to their families. Kundan, a BSNL official, said they are in the process of sending a small landline phone to the stranded workers through the pipeline inserted to bring them out.
“Through this, they will be able to talk directly to their families,” he said. After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside the under-construction structure.
Vertical Drilling Underway To Rescue Workers Trapped In Uttarkashi Tunnel
Vertical drilling, one of the several chalked-out options to bring out 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12, finally started on Sunday afternoon.
Two locations were identified for the vertical drilling, and both are on the Silkyara side of the high-altitude under-construction tunnel, a portion of which caved in on November 12.
SJVN, a public sector undertaking company involved in hydroelectric power generation and transmission, has just started vertical drilling work on the top of the tunnel atop the hill, the 15th day of continued rescue efforts. As a second option, vertical drilling work has also been started in another part on top of the tunnel to create rescue space for workers trapped. This portion of the tunnel has access to electricity and water.
Multiple agencies are working on the rescue efforts. In the latest, the Indian Air Force has also joined in as it flew critical DRDO equipment to Dehradun. On Tuesday, rescuers managed to insert an endoscopy camera into the tunnel. The first visuals captured on that device showed the trapped workers had ample space inside the tunnel for them to move around.
The visuals gave new hope to worried relatives, some of whom were camping outside the site of the collapsed tunnel structure. Meanwhile, international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix, who has roped in the rescue project, said on Sunday that there was no chance of a collapse in the area where the incident happened, suggesting an investigation into the matter.
(With inputs from agencies)
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