DEHRADUN: Forty labourers remain trapped in Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. Relief operations to rescue the labourers stranded in the under-construction 4.5-km Silkyara tunnel on the Uttarkashi-Yamunotri highway for the last three days, entered its fourth day on Wednesday.
According to information received, "Many obstacles are arising in the ongoing relief and rescue operation to evacuate these labourers". While rescue operations were on a war footing, a fresh spell of landslide saw rubbles falling from above, thus hampering the rescue mission.
According to sources in the district administration, "In place of the damaged old technology Auger machine, now more advanced machines for drilling are being brought from Delhi, which will be transported to the tunnel with the help of the Air Force".
Colonel Deepak Patil, who is in charge of the relief and rescue work, told this newspaper, "A new US-made Auger machine is being ordered for drilling, which will work faster." Now military operations and air services have also become active in this entire relief and rescue work.
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According to sources, "The length of the new American Auger machine is 4.42 meters, width is 2.22 meters and height is 2 meters. The total weight of the machine is 25 tons".
The working of the Auger drilling machine started on Tuesday night. About three meters of pipe was also inserted between the debris through the machine, but suddenly there was a technical fault in the machine and this work had to be stopped midway.
Sources at the tunnel site told TNIE, "The condition of the labourers trapped in the tunnel has now started deteriorating".
Following complaints from some workers from inside the tunnel, who reported fever, body aches and nervousness, the authorities immediately sent medicines through pipes.
The patience of their fellow labourers outside for the workers trapped in the tunnel also broke on Wednesday, with angry workers protesting outside the tunnel, alleging that there were no more machines in the backup and that rescue work was being lax. Workers say that the second machine should have been kept ready in the backup.