Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], November 25 (ANI): As part of efforts to provide assurance to 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel and relieve their stress, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has stepped in to provide them with a landline through which they can talk to their families. Kundan, a BSNL official, said they are in the process of sending a small landline phone to the stranded workers through the pipe. “Through this, they will be able to talk directly to their families,” he said.
He said BSNL has set up a small telephone exchange at the tunnel site and the phone will be connected through a line. A senior official involved in the rescue operation said some mobile phones have also been sent to the stranded workers so that they can play video games.
“There is no mobile network nearby but we are also considering providing Wi-Fi connectivity. We are also considering providing a cricket bat and ball to the workers so that they can play cricket. You can spend your time playing because there is a lot of space inside the tunnel where the workers are trapped, so cricket can be played easily,” the official said.
National Disaster Management Authority Member, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) on Saturday said that there has been no movement in the last 24 hours in the drilling work to rescue the 41 workers trapped in the Uttarkashi tunnel for 13 days.
The NDMA member said that a portion of the American-Auger machine was broken, blocking the potential escape route. “The current update is that (in) the last 24 hours, there hasn’t been any movement within this bore tunnel that was being made for the rescue. Because…the Auger machine itself has had a bit of an accident. A portion of it (has actually) broken, and that broken portion has to be pulled out (of the escape pipe),” Hasnain told ANI.
After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside the under-construction structure. (ANI)
“Confident that they will be home in time for Christmas”: Arnold Dix expresses hope on rescue operations of trapped workers in Uttarkashi
Uttarkashi (Uttarakhand) [India], November 25 (ANI): Expressing hope about the safe return of the 41 workers by Christmas festival who are trapped in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel, International Tunneling Expert Arnold Dix on Saturday said that he does not know exactly about the timeline on when will the rescue operation be successful adding that most important thing in this situation is that rescuers and labourers come home safely.
Speaking to ANI, Arnold Dix said, “Some time from now until one month and 41 men will be home safe. I just don’t know exactly when. I mean that we should not rush. We should just consider the most important thing and that is that the men come home safe. And I am confident that they will be home in time for Christmas.”
Arnold Dix further stated that he never promised that rescue operations would go smoothly and would end quickly. “In the beginning, I never promised it would be quick, I never promised it would be easy, I never said it would be tomorrow, I never said it would be tonight. Always I said they will be home for Christmas but they will be safe,” he said. Earlier today, National Disaster Management Authority member Syed Ata Hasnain said that the rescue operation at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel has become technically complex adding that rescuers are working in an environment of unpredictability.
Syed Ata Hasnain said that all 41 workers who remained trapped in the tunnel were stable and safe.
Addressing a press briefing in Delhi, NDMA Member Syed Ata Hasnain said, “You are seeing that this operation is getting technically complex. Earlier there were not many complexities and that is why some people in media were assuming timelines but we never gave timelines from our side. We are conducting rescue operations on hills. We are working in an environment of unpredictability.”
“I have experienced that when you do something with mountains, you cannot predict anything. This is exactly a situation like war,” he added. He further informed that advanced machinery is being airlifted by the Indian Air Force to bring the damaged part of the auger machine out from the tunnel. “The good news is that the 41 workers are stuck inside are stable. All the basic things are being sent. The relatives of the workers have also come, and they are talking to the workers. As far as the rescue operation is concerned, there are certain problems we are facing. There has been damage in the auger machine and some part of it has not come out,” Hasnain said.
NDMA member further informed that the process of drilling will start in the next one to two days. Meanwhile, a 12-member team of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) is on standby mode to do vertical drilling on the tunnel. A final decision on the vertical drilling option is likely to be taken by Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside. The workers are trapped in a 2 km-built portion. (ANI)
