DEHRADUN: More than a hundred rescuers on Tuesday struggled for a third day to save 40 workers trapped after a portion of the under-construction 4.5-km-long Silkiara tunnel collapsed on the Chardham road in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi district on November 12.
Excavators have been removing debris since Sunday morning from the site to create an escape tunnel for the 40 workers, who are all alive.
According to the officials, to remove the 40 labourers trapped in the tunnel, a 900 mm (3 feet) steel pipes will be pushed into the spot from inside the debris, through which they will be evacuated.
Meanwhile, a high-level geological and expert investigation team has reached the spot to probe the incident. As per internal sources, evacuation may not be possible before Wednesday evening.
"To rescue the 40 workers trapped in the tunnel, a 900 mm (3 ft) steel pipe from inside the debris will be pushed into the site through which the workers will be evacuated," a top official leading the relief work told this newspaper. According to the official, the process has started.
The construction of the horizontal drilling machine platform at the Silkiara Tunnel has been completed. SDRF team led by Commandant Manikant Mishra is continuously engaged in rescue work at the spot.
State Disaster Management Secretary Dr Ranjit Singh Sinha told this newspaper, "Experts, included in the committee formed by the government under the chairmanship of Director Uttarakhand Landslide Reduction and Management Center to study the landslide in Silkiyara tunnel and investigate the cause, have inspected the site and started investigation."
Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police Arpan Yaduvanshi told this newspaper, "In order to provide immediate medical care to the people after evacuating them from the tunnel, teams of the Health Department have been deployed at the tunnel gate with specialist and proper medical equipment as well as ambulance." Adequate quantity of oxygen cylinders have been stocked for uninterrupted supply.
According to administrative sources, "Oxygen is being continuously released through compressors inside the tunnel and small packets of food items are also being delivered along with pressurized air to the trapped people." The stranded persons are being interacted with through walkie-talkie and as per the information received, all are safe.
Over 155 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Border Roads Organisation (BRO) are working almost round the clock to reach the stranded workers.
Col Deepak Patil, who was recently transferred from Uttarkashi and has been working as the general manager of this construction project for the last five years under the aegis of NHIDCL (National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited), was sent to the spot on Tuesday morning from Jaipur.
Col Patil has prepared a strategy to evacuate the trapped laborers, the first pipe will be put into the debris through the tunnel through drilling methods. After this, the laborers will be taken out of a 3 feet diameter pipe, but this whole process may take another one to two days.
The team of experts includes Dr. Shantanu Sarkar, Director, USDMA Dehradun, Dr. Khayingshing Luirei, Scientist, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Scientist of Zoological Survey of India (GSI), Senior Scientist CBRI Roorkee Kaushal Pandit, Deputy Director Department of Geology and Mineralogy G.D. Prasad and Geologist USDMA Dehradun Tandrila Sarkar. Scientist Luirei has expertise in the field of morphotectonics and landslides.
The 4.5-kilometre (2.7-mile) tunnel is being constructed between the towns of Silkyara and Dandalgaon to connect two of the holiest Hindu shrines: Uttarkashi and Yamunotri.
The tunnel is part of a Prime Minister Narendra Modi road project aimed at improving travel conditions between some of the most popular Hindu shrines in the country as well as areas bordering China.
(With inputs from AFP)