DEHRADUN: Rescue of the 41 trapped labourers from the collapsed under- construction Silkyara tunnel appeared hours away on Wednesday evening with 48 metres of escape passage being created, out of the 57 metres stretch of debris to reach the workers, who have been stuck inside for the past 11 days.
According to sources, the workers will be pulled out of the tunnel on small-wheeled stretchers using a rope, through the 800-mm pipes that have been insereted horizontally. Ambulances are on standby and a team of doctors is at the site. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is also expected to reach the site to welcome the workers.
The labourers will be taken directly to the Chinyalisaur government hospital, 32 km away from the tunnel, where special arrangements have been made for their inspection and treatment as required. “The labourers will likely be kept in isolation for a day or two after emerging from the tunnel,” said Dr Rohit Gondwal, a psychiatrist who has been camping in Silkyara and has interacted with some of the workers through camera.
Dr Gondwal spoke to two experienced labourers referred to as ‘Negi ji’ and ‘Gabbar’, who have faced similar accidents in the past. “Individuals like Gabbar and Negi have played a key role in keeping the morale of the labourers high in the tunnel,” Dr Gondwal said. Giving an update on the progress of the multi-agency rescue efforts, in-charge of the operation Colonel Deepak Patil told this newspaper that so far, nine pipes have been drilled horizontally up to 48 metres. Only two more pipes are to be inserted but the process takes time.
“Each pipe must be strongly welded together and allowed to cool before continuing,” he explained. Around 200 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, paramilitary forces, Air Force, state police, and revenue department have been deployed at the site to help with the rescue mission.