DEHRADUN: The operation to rescue the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel was interrupted at around 4 pm on Friday when the driller of the Auger machine collided with a rock. Forty labourers remained stranded for the sixth day after a portion of the 4.531-km-long tunnel that is under construction collapsed in the early hours of Sunday.
According to information received from administrative sources, "The work of laying pipes in the tunnel has been stopped after a technical fault in the American Auger machine doing drilling." So far, only about 25 metres of pipes have been inserted in the tunnel, while the debris in the tunnel is up to about 70 metres.
"There has been a fault in the bearings of the machine, due to which it is being dislocated repeatedly," said a source at the accident site. Now the machine is being fixed by installing anchors on the platform.
"The operations to rescue the labourers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel continued for the sixth day on Friday," Uttarkashi Superintendent of Police Arpan Yadhuvanshi told The New Indian Express. Welding work was being done to insert the fifth pipe when this technical fault occurred. Another Auger machine has been ordered from Indore as backup.
The families of many of the 40 labourers trapped in the tunnel are at the site. Administration teams and family members are constantly communicating with the labourers. At the same time, the workers are also encouraging each other.
The state government says that the construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to Yamunotri, one of the dhams located on the Chardham Yatra, thereby promoting regional socio-economic development, trade and tourism within the country. It will reduce the travel distance from Dharasu to Yamunotri by about 20 km and travel time by about an hour.
"The PMO is monitoring the ongoing operation in Silkiyara and PM Narendra Modi is constantly taking updates on the progress of the campaign," said Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami while talking to media persons at the state secretariat. Asked about negligence in the construction of the tunnel, CM Dhami said, "Our first priority right now is to get 40 workers out safely."
Chief Minister Dhami also announced a comprehensive review of all tunnels under construction in the state after the tunnel collapse. Dhami said, "The state needs such tunnels, but the ongoing construction projects will be thoroughly reviewed."