The NDRF on Friday demonstrated how it will use wheeled stretchers to evacuate the 41 workers who are trapped inside the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. The stretchers will be moved through a horizontal pipe that is being drilled through the debris to reach the other side of the tunnel. The rescue operation to free the 41 workers stuck inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi will be resumed shortly as the technical snag has been solved.
It has been 13 days since 41 workers got stuck inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi district after a landslide caused a cave-in on Diwali. The rescue operation, which involves multiple agencies and machines, has faced several difficulties and delays.
The latest setback occurred on Thursday, when the platform supporting the drilling machine developed cracks and forced the drilling to stop. Speaking to news agency ANI, Khulbe said that the platform of the Augur drilling machine had some cracks on Thursday, which have been repaired now.
He said that the situation has improved now and that they had two tasks to do last night. “First, we had to fix the platform of the machine… Parsons Company had done the ground penetration radar, which showed us that there is no metal obstruction for the next 5 meters. This means that our drilling should be smooth. When we were removing the debris, we found two twisted pipes…” Khulbe said, adding that the workers may be out by today.
He also told the reporters that the Heavy Augur machine is now working fine. “We have been able to secure the Auger machine firmly on its base. There were some hurdles at the mouth of the pipe, which we had to clear by cutting it. This is hard work; hence it is taking time. I hope that the drilling work will begin again by 11-11.30 am. Ground penetration radar study has shown that there is no metal obstruction in the next 5 metres,” he added.