The rescue workers will “stabilise” the platform on which the 25-tonne auger machine is mounted before drilling is resumed, officials said.
Uttarkashi: Drilling through the rubble of the collapsed Silkyara tunnel was put on hold again Thursday after the platform on which the equipment is mounted developed some cracks, in yet another setback to the effort to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside.
The rescue workers will “stabilise” the platform on which the 25-tonne auger machine is mounted before drilling is resumed, officials said. Sections of steel pipes were being inserted through the rubble of the collapsed portion for the workers, trapped for 11 days, to be brought out.
41 workers are trapped in the Silkyara tunnel for the last 11 days. Earlier, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain had said that that the rescue operation is likely to be over in the next few hours or by tomorrow. “I expect that in the next few hours or by tomorrow, we will be successful in this operation,” Hasnain said in a media briefing.
The NDMA member also said that the horizontal drilling to rescue workers may face 3-4 more hurdles. Hasnain further said that 41 ambulances, one each for trapped workers, are in place at the tunnel site, and also facilities are in place to airlift workers in serious condition.
The men have been trapped for the past 11 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel on the Uttarakhand Char Dham route collapsed, cutting off its exit. Rescue operations to evacuate the workers resumed on Thursday morning after an overnight hurdle delayed the drilling by several hours.
Five-option Action Plan:
The government has undertaken a five-option action plan to rescue the workers and five agencies namely Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, Rail Vikas Nigam, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation have been assigned specific responsibilities, working collaboratively with occasional task adjustments for operational efficiency.
THDC has initiated the construction of a rescue tunnel from the Barkot end, with four blasts already completed, resulting in a 9.10-metre drift. Efforts are being made to carry out three blasts per day.
Equipment for micro tunnelling required for horizontal drilling to rescue labourers has reached the site. Platform likely to be completed by November 24, 2023. Equipment is to be set up by November 25, 2023.
Work is underway to create a drift inside the tunnel, with a safe channel established from 180 metres to 150 metres.