By Dr Kripa Nautiyal
The entire nation indeed owes a huge debt of gratitude to all those involved in the Silkyara tunnel rescue that eventually culminated in successful evacuation of 41 workers who were trapped for 17 days. These 17 days witnessed anxious moments for relatives of these workers, in particular, and the entire nation in general. The rescue operation, almost on daily basis, observed an extreme swing from optimism and hope to pessimism and despair. With my own experience of having encountered many fast developing operational situations while in uniform, I could instantly relate to the entire upheaval of such emotionally draining feelings of the rescuers and 41 trapped rescuees.
People generally come to Himalayas in search of peace, serenity and tranquillity, but this mishap sent a grim reminder once again of the fragility of the Himalayan Mountain range. This range is vulnerable to natural disasters, unlike the rigid and stable peninsular block. The stress on the
fragile ecology of the area due to infrastructural development, as in the past, will come under vigorous debate and intense discussion in the days ahead. However, the objective of this article is to celebrate the role of leadership at each level of rescuers and rescuees in the Silkyara tunnel crisis.
The toughest challenge was to keep the entrapped workers motivated and it is in the times of crisis that inherent leadership skills become more prominent. Good leaders are also known to emerge from crisis situations.
Gabar Singh Negi and Sabah Ahmed, who were the seniormost among the 41 workers trapped inside, emerged as admirable leaders during the crisis. They not only kept themselves calm but motivated other workers inside to remain positive for 17 days and nights. There are very few who can gather strength from crises. Negi and Ahmed not only excelled in a leadership role in a challenging and life threatening situation, but also showec that leaders are not born or made – they are self-made. Negi opted to be rescued the last
and this in itself is a lesson in leadership, of selflessness, loyalty to his people, humility, value for relationships and inspiring others in crisis situations.
The leadership at the national level, personally overseen at the level of the PM, ensured unprecedented and seamless coordination, besides proactive augmentation of resources by various Ministries of the Government of India resulting in bringing in the best global experts and specialised equipment at a speed not witnessed by India, so far. We have been witnessing for a decade that during any serious crisis our leader takes in more responsibility and delegates less which has greatly helped in ensuring unwavering synergy and progressive outcomes. The presence of the PMO team and General VK Singh, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, at the site also helped immensely.
The role of the state leadership of Uttarakhand was equally exemplary in the crisis. The presence of the Chief Minister at the site of the disaster on regular basis was inspirational to the rescuers and rescuees, as he stayed calm and composed and assured the trapped workers of a positive outcome. He provided hope and vision. Inputs from him and the expert teams at the site helped in exploring various rescue options. The irony, however, was that when the plan looked almost sure to fructify, a last minute hurdle invariably led to bringing the entire efforts to nought. The most admirable lesson of leadership here is that the state leader kept his fears to himself and shared his courage with all rescuers and rescuees. During the entire operation, all components involved in the rescue efforts such as rat hole miners, NDRF /SDRF, Border Roads Organisation, the Indian Railway, ONGC, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Telecommunication, Indian Air Force, Indian Army, Local Administration, Medical and Foreign experts produced their best in a crisis situation and ensured seamless integration among themselves which resulted in the successful rescue mission.
The entire handling of this crisis has demonstrated the resilience of New India, wherein all components of the rescue efforts, innovated and worked tirelessly for a common goal. Landing of a Super Hercules C-130 J-30 military aircraft at a rudimentary airstrip in proximity of the disaster site in Uttarakhand with critical equipment required for the rescue was one such effort.
India surely has emerged stronger from this crisis. It is said that harder the conflict, more glorious is the triumph. The conflict indeed was hard and everyone was tested to the limits. The triumph, no doubt, is sweet, however, lessons learnt from this crisis should be chronicled for the future. The need for undertaking infrastructural audits of all such projects in the fragile Himalayan Region needs no emphasis. The lessons of leadership learnt from this crisis are priceless right from the ground to the apex level. The nation really feels energised and reinvigorated with such mature and decisive leadership. A big salute to everyone involved in this operation.
(The author is a retired Additional Director General of the Coast Guard and has participated in various operations in India and abroad. He also holds a Masters Degree in Disaster Management)
