Trapped Odia workers’ kin on way to Uttarakhand as rescue reaches final stage
BHUBANESWAR: With the rescue operation at Uttarkashi entering the final stage, the state government on Friday sent the families of Odia workers trapped in the tunnel for the last 13 days, to the site.District labour officials of Mayurbhanj and Nabarangpur are accompanying the relatives of workers Bisweswar Nayak, Dhiren Nayak and Bhagaban Bhotra to Uttarakhand.
Five workers from Odisha - Dhiren of Badakudar and Bisweswar of Jogibandh in Mayurbhanj district, Raju Nayak from Kuldiha in Balasore, Bhagaban of Nabarangpur and Tapan Mandal of Bhadrak district - are trapped in the Uttarkashi Silkyara tunnel at Uttarakhand after a portion of the tunnel collapsed 13 days back. They were employed at the site by Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd which is implementing Silkyara tunnel work for National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).
Bimal, brother of Bisweswar, said his family of five has been spending sleepless nights. “Although we are being constantly updated about Bisweswar’s health condition by local authorities, the news of frequent disruptions in the rescue operation is unsettling for the family”, he said.
Uncle of Raju Nayak, Abhimanyu who was also working with him at the site, said his anxious family members at Kuldiha haven’t had a proper meal since the news of the incident broke. “The officials here have assured all the workers will be out soon and the rescue operation is nearing completion,” said Abhimanyu. The two had been working at the Silkyara site for the last six months.
Earlier, two labour officials were deputed to Uttarkashi by the state government to look into the rescue operation. Labour commissioner N Thirumala Naik said the government is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with its counterparts in Uttarakhand for the safe rescue of the trapped Odia workers.