Uttarakhand rescuers to drill from the top of tunnel to free stranded workers

Uttarakhand tunnel incident: On the seventh day of the operation, the rescuers attempting to reach the workers trapped in a collapsed under-construction tunnel in Uttarkashi started working on a backup plan after abandoning the first two. They also started looking into ways to make sure the 41 people inside the tunnel continue to receive food and critical medications.

Here’s the PLAN

According to officials, the new plan entails building a different path at the summit of the mountain to allow drilling vertically from a pre-determined location on the tunnel to a depth of roughly 103 meters, where the workers are stranded.

A new auger machine was delivered to the site early on Saturday morning, but it was not utilized because of concerns about additional damage to the tunnel after a large crack was reported during the day of drilling a hole through the 65–70 meter wall of rubble.

Every possible option being considered to rescue the workers in Uttarakhand tunnel

According to Bhaskar Khulbe, a former adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office, every avenue to save the workers is being considered. “We are exploring as many options as possible to rescue workers. It is our priority to reach those who are stuck for days here. We don’t lack any resources, options and ideas, we just need some coordinated action and we are trying to make teams and reach there somehow,” Khulbe, who arrived on the scene on Saturday, said as he sought to reassure locals.

About 200 meters from the Silkyara entrance in the Uttarakhand district, a section of the 4.5 km tunnel the construction workers were digging collapsed on Sunday, trapping them. The tunnel is a component of the heavily traveled Chardham all-weather road, a premier project that links numerous places of pilgrimage.

Also Read: S Venkitaramanan, a former governor of the RBI, dies at 92

Rail Vikas Nigam Limited’s involved in operation

In addition to ONGC, the Indian Army’s Engineering Corps, and the engineers who constructed the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh, the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which is in charge of the rescue efforts, also requested aid.

“Four possible points where drilling can start have been identified (on top of the tunnel). We have also started making the approach road on the hill top for the machine,” a Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) official, involved in the planning of the operation, said.