Uttarkashi Tunnel News: The work to rescue 41 workers trapped for 11 days in the under-construction Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand was again hampered on Thursday as drilling was stopped after cracks were seen in the platform on which the drilling machine rests.
The blockage occurred a few hours after operations resumed during the day late on Wednesday night, following a six-hour delay in cutting the iron girder that came in the way of the auger machine.
Drilling work stopped for the third time
This is the third time that drilling work has been stopped since rescue operations by various agencies began on November 12 after a part of the tunnel under construction in Uttarakhand’s Char Dham route collapsed.
According to an official, drilling was stopped on Thursday to “stabilize” the platform on which the 25-tonne drilling machine is mounted. Some cracks appeared in the structure, but there was no official confirmation of this.
In the afternoon, an official statement in Delhi said that a minor tremor was observed at 1.10 pm. It was said that the speed at which the machine was working was being re-assessed. The statement said the operation would resume.
Before the blockage, officials were looking at the possibility of ending the operation during Thursday night if no further disruptions occurred during drilling as it entered the final section of 10 to 12 metres.
‘There may be more obstacles in this’
In Delhi, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) member Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain said, “I am hopeful that in the next few hours or by tomorrow we will be successful in this operation.” However, he expressed apprehension that it would involve. More obstacles may arise.
Former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, Bhaskar Khulbe, who was present on the spot, said that iron rods had fallen into the debris during drilling using an American auger machine. However, he said that it was cut through a gas cutter.
At 10 am, he told reporters that it would take 12 to 14 hours of drilling and then about three hours for the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to evacuate the workers.
Secretary Neeraj Khairwal, who has been made the nodal officer by the Uttarakhand government to coordinate rescue operations, told a press conference around 2 pm that after the obstruction on Wednesday night while moving 45 meters under the debris, another 1.8 meter pipe went inside. Has gone. Another official said that drilling has been done up to 48 meters.
Officials said that once the pipe reaches the other side of the debris, NDRF personnel will go inside and bring out the workers one by one, for which rehearsals have been done. The workers will be brought out with the help of ropes by laying them on low-height stretchers fitted with wheels.
Oxygen, food, water, medicines and other goods are being continuously sent to the workers through the pipeline laid on Monday.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also reached Silkyara
Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways VK Singh and NDRF Director General Atul Karwal were in Silkyara on Thursday to review the rescue effort. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also reached Silkyara.
While talking to the workers through the ‘audio communication setup’ installed in the tunnel, Dhami told them that the relief and rescue work is going on war footing and the rescue workers have reached very close to them. “We have advanced about 45 meters (through the debris),” Dhami said. The whole country stands with you. All of you keep your spirits up.
The Chief Minister asked two workers – Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmed – about the workers and praised both of them for maintaining everyone’s morale. Dhami also talked to the workers working day and night in the rescue operation and patted them on the back.
Work on drilling and laying the 800 mm wide pipe from the Silkyara end was first halted on Friday afternoon when the auger machine encountered an obstruction around the 22-metre mark, causing vibrations in the tunnel that raised safety concerns. Were born.
Drilling resumed around midnight on Tuesday but a second setback occurred the next night.
International tunneling expert Arnold Dix, present at the disaster site, said that the auger machine drilling through the debris was again experiencing some problems.
He did not elaborate on the current problem and did not clarify how much delay the repair operation would entail due to the problem with the machine.
‘Laborers trapped in tunnel safe and healthy’
He said, “It is very important not to act hastily as the workers trapped in the tunnel are safe and healthy. If we act hastily in a situation like this, such challenges may arise that we cannot even imagine.
When the workers come out, they will be taken in ambulances under police escort through the ‘green corridor’ to a 41-bed special ward set up at the community health center at Chinyalisaur in Uttarkashi district.
If needed, they will be shifted to other medical centers. Director General of NDRF said that the workers trapped in the tunnel are fine. He said, “The people working in the tunnel are mentally strong and these people also know that tremendous efforts are being made to get them out, so they are hopeful.”