Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], November 13 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday talked to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over the phone and inquired about the 40 workers trapped inside an under-construction tunnel for over 24 hours in Uttarkashi.
According to an official statement, PM Modi has inquired about the incident twice till now.
“Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw have also talked to CM Dhami,” the statement said.
However, talking about the information about the relief and rescue operations, the Chief Minister said that various state and central agencies are engaged in relief and rescue operations with mutual coordination and promptness.
Dhami further said that all the workers trapped inside the tunnel are safe and every effort is being made to get them out soon.
“I myself visited the spot and conducted an on-site inspection and is constantly keeping an eye on the rescue operations. Arrangements have been made to send large diameter hume pipes from Haridwar and Dehradun for rescue operations,” Dhami said.
SP Arpan Yaduvanshi who visited the tunnel said it may take one more day to rescue the trapped workers.
“Rescue operation is underway, all the agencies and technical experts have arrived here. Out of the 60 metres of debris, over 20 metres of debris has been cleared. We expect to evacuate the 40 people trapped inside by the night tomorrow. All basic amenities including oxygen, food and water are being provided to them through pipes. Family members of the people trapped have also been contacted…” Yaduvanshi said.
Ranjeet Kumar Sinha, State Disaster Management Secretary said that the tunnel collapsed due to pressure caused by soft rock.
“…Since there was soft rock, it collapsed due to pressure. Treatment for the same will be done later currently our primary responsibility is to rescue people safely…We expect people to be rescued safely by tomorrow or the day after…There is enough oxygen inside the tunnel for people to survive for at least 5-6 days. We are able to talk to the people trapped through walkie-talkies…” Sinha said.
A report from the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) says the tunnel had been breached by 21 metres and rescue efforts are continuing.
The detailed report on the accident says the Silkyara Tunnel is 4531 meters long and is under construction at a cost of Rs 853.79 crore.
“On November 10, 2023, re-profiling work was started from Ch. 260m to Ch. 265m at LHS and for the same patch primary lining works for the same were completed. On November 12, breaking work was started from Ch. 260m to Ch. 263m for the next patch of work & around 5:30 AM, early morning collapse occurred from Ch. 205m to 260 meters where re-profiling was completed. 40 workers based on contractor tunnel entry register trapped inside the tunnel,” the report said.
The report further stated that experts from the Authority Engineer, Geological Expert from RVNL and many more visited the collapse site periodically over the night and subsequently all the options were explored. (ANI)
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