By Arun Pratap Singh
Uttarkashi/Dehradun, 14 Nov: Drilling inside the Silkyara tunnel, Uttarkashi, has begun with the help of an Auger Drilling Machine in order to reach 40 trapped workers. Pipes of 900 mm diameter that will be passed through the debris to reach the workers and get them out have also arrived at the site. As per the information updated this evening, the rescue operation is continuing on war footing.
A platform has been prepared for the auger machine for horizontal drilling to rescue the trapped labourers. Large diameter MS pipes will be inserted in the part of the Silkyara tunnel which is blocked by debris. Trucks laden with 900 mm diameter pipes started arriving at the Silkyara tunnel last night. This morning, the auger drilling machine reached the site. However, in order to begin the drilling of the debris horizontally, a platform had to be constructed which was done by late this afternoon, following which the drilling work has begun and is now in progress. According to the engineers deputed at the site, it may take another 24 to 30 hours to be able to drill through the debris to the place where the workers are trapped. The pipes will be used to evacuate the workers from the tunnel.
Oxygen is being continuously supplied by a compressor inside the tunnel. Along with the pressurised air, small packets of food items are also being delivered to the stranded people. Conversations are being held with the trapped persons through walkie-talkies and, as per the information received this evening, all workers are safe. After consultation with the experts concerned from NHAI, RBNL, NHCL, L&T, THDC, BRO and NHIDCL, the work on removing the debris inside the tunnel is also being done on a war footing with the help of equipment and resources provided by the Ministry of Defence. Additionally, in order to strengthen the tunnel wall to prevent collapse, work on short concreting is also being done on the tunnel wall. Along with this, at the advice of the experts present, efforts are being made to prepare an escape passage to reach the trapped labourers by removing the debris and installing setting plates, though, this work is getting hampered repeatedly because of the debris falling from the upper part of the tunnel.
A team of 5 expert engineers of the Irrigation Department has also reached the spot from Dehradun for the installation of the MS Steel Pipes. An ROC machine has also reached the incident site.
A staging area has been created at the site, where vertical drill machines, horizontal drill machines and other machines are available. In addition, 3 Pokland machines, 2 JCB machines, 6 trucks, 1 hydra and 2 loaders have been deployed outside the tunnel while 4 Pokland machines have been deployed inside the tunnel, besides 3 shortcreting machines, 2 boomers, 2 hydra and 2 trucks which are working inside the tunnel.
Police, NDRF, SDRF teas for search and rescue operations and a total of 160 relief workers, including members of ITBP, Border Roads Organisation, Health Department and Rapid Action Team have been deployed at the spot. To deal with any possible emergencies, at a distance of 5 km from the incident site, a temporary helipad has been constructed near the installation and the helipad located in Chinyalisaur has also been identified for relief operations. In order to facilitate the families of the people trapped in the tunnel and to allay their fears and to provide them with correct information about the situation, the district administration has arranged a helpline for this particular incident – 01374-222722, 222126, 7500337269 (District Emergency Operation Centre) and 7455991223, 7818066867 (Terrestrial Operation Centre established in Silkyara).
With the aim of providing immediate medical care to the people after safely evacuating them from the tunnel, teams of the Health Department along with experts and appropriate medical equipment, ambulances have also been deployed at the tunnel gate. AIIMS Rishikesh along with the hospitals of nearby districts have been put on high alert to take action in case of any adverse situation. Adequate quantity of oxygen cylinders has been stored for uninterrupted supply of oxygen.
District Magistrate, Uttarkashi, Chief Development Officer, Superintendent of Police, Additional District Magistrate, SDM Dunda / Badkot, NHDCL Chief Manager and Revenue Team of Uttarakhand are also present on the spot.
It may be recalled that the landslide inside the under construction Silkyara tunnel for the Char Dham Road project along the Yamuntori Highway in district Uttarkashi had occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday, when after finishing their 12-hour shift in the tunnel, the workers were about to leave for Diwali holiday around 8 a.m. As per the reports, there were 45 workers in the tunnel at that time of the accident but seeing the debris falling, five workers managed to escape while the remaining 40 got trapped in the tunnel.
Colonel Deepak Patil, General Manager of NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation), who was relieved on 6 November, has been sent again in view of his wide experience in this regard in the role of relief in-charge.
CO, Operations, Prashant Kumar of Uttarkashi Police, who was engaged in the rescue, has been in touch with the trapped workers through walkie talkie and is also in touch with the families of the workers. SDRF Commandant Manikant Mishra, who is also on the spot, has also spoken to the workers. Essential food items are being supplied to the workers through compressors.
CM obtains continuous feedback of rescue operation
Inquiry into reasons for landslide inside tunnel begins
By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 14 Nov: Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is continuously obtaining feedback from the officials about the workers trapped in the tunnel near Silkyara in district Uttarkashi. The Chief Minister is also taking updates on regular intervals from the agencies engaged in relief and rescue operations.
After holding a meeting with senior government officials at his residence, the Chief Minister directed that they should maintain constant coordination with the district administration officials deployed on the spot and the agencies working there, and in case of any need of relief material, it should be made available immediately. On this occasion, Secretary Radha Raturi, Special Principal Secretary Abhinav Kumar, Secretary R Meenakshi Sundaram, Shailesh Bagoli, Vinay Shankar Pandey, ADG AP Anshuman, Director General, Information, Banshidhar Tiwari and Additional Secretary JC Kandpal was present.
On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the experts included in the committee formed by the government under the chairmanship of the Director, Uttarakhand Landslide Mitigation and Management Centre, will study and investigate the cause of the landslide that occurred in the Silkyara Tunnel, and has reached the site and begun the investigation.
As per the information made available by the agencies, among the stranded persons, 2 are from Uttarakhand, 1 from Himachal, 4 from Bihar, 3 from West Bengal, 8 from Uttar Pradesh, 5 from Odisha, 15 from Jharkhand and 2 from Assam.
To ensure that no untoward incident occurs when the workers are taken out of the tunnel, the Health Department has set up a six-bedded temporary hospital to give them immediate medical help
