The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district was halted after the platform supporting the auger machine which is drilling through the debris collapsed on Thursday evening.
Girish Singh Rawat, one of the members of the rescue operation team, said: "Drilling cannot be done until the platform is ready. It may take five to six hours to get the platform ready."
"So far, around 45 meters of drilling has been completed and about 10 to 12 meters of drilling work is left. As soon as the drilling is completed, the workers trapped in the tunnel will be rescued and will be taken to a hospital," he added.
In view of the rescue operation, a temporary Chief Minister Camp Office has been set up in Matali. Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami reached Silkyara and took stock of the rescue operation. He also talked to the workers trapped in the tunnel through a walkie-talkie.
Uttarkashi DM Abhishek Ruhela, who also reached the tunnel site on the day, said that the rescue operation is almost in the final stages. "A pipeline is being laid in the tunnel to evacuate the workers. The pieces of steel stuck in the debris have been removed. Hopefully, positive results will come soon."
Ecological disasters: Manish Khanduri
Reacting to the tunnel collapse, Uttarakhand Congress leader Manish Khanduri said the hill region, known for unstable mountain ranges, is not ecologically ideal for such megaprojects. "We are now worried about the ecological aspect of development in the Hills. We are playing with Mother nature, and have not learned our lessons despite disasters or warnings in Raini, Joshimath and now Uttarkashi, all in the last 2 years," he noted.
Khanduri, has been raising concerns over the environmental impact of major infrastructure projects in the state. Ever since the cracks developed in Joshimath forcing evacuation of thousands of people, he has been vocal on conducting ecological studies before undertaking megaprojcts in the state.
"There is a 125-km railway project from Rishikesh in the plains to Karnaprayag in the Hills and 80 km of this will be tunnels. Work is in full swing. And they are boring 80 km of tunnels in a region known for its unstable mountains ranges. With trains running through, who will guarantee that this is not another disaster waiting to happen in Uttarakhand?" he asked.
(With inputs from IANS)
