By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 15 Feb: More than a week after the tsunami-like flood in Chamoli district, NTPC and other agencies are continuing their relentless rescue operations at the Tapovan site.
More than 325 personnel including engineers, officers, geologists, scientists, security officials from NTPC, THDC, CISF, UPNL and other associates are at the site and constantly engaged in rescue operations. There is also continuous support from the district administration, ITBP, BRO, NDRF, SDRF, Army, state PWD, SJVN and RVNL. The NTPC engineering teams worked in tandem with the rescue teams and could help the latter comprehend the design of tunnels, thus saving 12 lives on day one.
The Tapovan hydropower project took the brunt of the flash flood, thus helping save the nearby villages from the fury caused by unprecedented snowfall that triggered an avalanche upstream.
In addition, NTPC has put its best foot forward to fast-track all modalities and procedures required for distribution of compensation to the immediate families of those who lost their lives in the natural disaster that struck Tapovan project
While NTPC is extending compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the immediate family of the victims, the State and Central Governments have separately announced compensation packages of Rs 4 lakh and Rs 2 lakh, respectively. Further, compensation against PF and Employees’ Compensation Act covered under statutory provisions of the workers in the range of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 15 lakh will also be made available.
While dedicated teams from NTPC are managing the entire rescue operation behind the scene by assisting the rescue teams, the company airlifted machinery including high-end submersible slush removal pumps to increase the pace of operations. The diversion of river course from left bank to right bank and approach to de-silting basin from upstream is also being done. The diversion of the river course is necessary to ensure that water from Dhauliganga doesn’t enter the tunnel. All required machinery for the rescue operation is currently available while requirement for any additional resources is being met on a war footing.
So far, mucking in intake Adit Tunnel has reached 155 metres while a 300 mm diameter, 12 metre deep bore hole was drilled in Intake Adit to puncture silt Flushing Tunnel below Adit late yesterday. The water level in the bore hole is under observations for further action plan.
A public Information centre, lodging and boarding, food, and medical facilities are being provided by NTPC near the rescue site to kith and kin of those stuck inside the tunnel.
