Still waiting for good news from Silkyara
Shishir Prashant
PrashantNews (1723 hours)
when will you get good news from Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand where 41 workers are trapped inside since November 12? This is a million dollar question which is haunting rescuers and the whole country alike.
Though there are still no straight answers, rescuers on Friday said they are hopeful that they would be able to evacuate workers shortly as the rescue operation was continuing. But there was no time frame this time.
Rescuers said the technical fault in the auger machine which is being used to drill the debris inside the tunnel, has been resolved. Even the platform which was made for the auger machine has also been strengthened by way of anchoring, bolting and concreting foundations. This, they hoped, would help them to resume the drilling work further in order to reach the trapped workers, who are desperately waiting inside the tunnel.
Rescuers said they were pushing next pipe now inside the debris.
After the auger drilling machine hit a steel girder/bar due to which the operation was halted on Wednesday evening, the rescuers said they were taking a cautious approach to avoid any technical obstacle which might come in the way. “The tunnel operation is just like a war and the Himalayan geology is the enemy”, said Sayed Atta Hasnain, member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in a press briefing on the Silkyara operation.
On Wednesday night, the rescuers managed to cut and clear the girder and other steel pieces which had come in the way of the rescue operation. Since then, rescuers have faced many hurdles in their bid to push 800 mm MS pipes inside the debris for making escape passage for the trapped workers.
Till now, 46.8 meter of MS pipes have been pushed inside the debris, said Mahmood Ahmed Union additional secretary Road, Transport and Highways and the coordinator of the rescue operation.
Now only, 10-12 odd meter of more drilling in the debris is left, said the official.
After the video of well-being of the 41 trapped workers brought cheers for their family members on Tuesday, the rescuers sent food items like khichari, rice, dal and roti for the trapped workers inside the tunnel. Earlier, the rescuers had inserted an endoscopic camera through the life support pipe to see the well-being of all the 41 workers who are trapped inside the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand.
The workers, who are trapped since November 12, were seen standing inside the tunnel in good condition. A couple of these workers were also seen even expressing happiness. The photograph of Saba Ahmed, a worker, who was peeping through the pipe, also went viral. This acclaimed picture was captured by the endoscopic camera.
The trapped workers started getting more food through the bigger 6 inch pipe which was inserted on Monday. Rescuers said food and other essential items are being sent for workers regularly. Ends