HYDERABAD: The state government will likely ask the Union government to allow it to carry out minor blasts inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel to expedite the rescue operations.
On Monday, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, along with ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao and Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, reviewed the rescue operations being carried out within the SLBC tunnel which collapsed on February 22, trapping eight workers inside. Rescue teams found the body of one person while the whereabouts of the other seven remain unknown.
During the meeting, officials briefed the chief minister on the rescue operations’ progress and the challenges they face. Sources said that the chief minister was informed that the rescuers were struggling to cut the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) due to the silt that had covered it.
They added: “As the tunnel is located within the wildlife sanctuary and tiger zone, permissions to carry out even minor blasts are mandatory from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The accident site is at a depth of about 500 metres from the surface.”
With this, the chief minister instructed officials to seek necessary permissions and help from the Centre.
Revanth also directed Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari to appoint senior IAS officer Sivasankar Lotheti to oversee the rescue operations.
The officials informed the chief minister that 700 personnel from 25 agencies were involved in the rescue operations. They added that the rescue teams are removing debris, collapsed rocks and boulders, dismantling the TBM parts and clearing soil mounds, silt and seepage water from inside the tunnel.
The authorities said that rescue operations were delayed due to poor air and light conditions as the accident occurred 14 km from the inlet. They pointed out that 30 metres of the accident area has been identified as the most-dangerous zone and that rescue operations will have to be carried out as per the scientific studies of the GSI and NGRI.
Subsequently, the chief minister instructed the officials concerned to give priority to tracing the whereabouts of the trapped workers and to take all necessary permissions from the Centre for the emergency works to be carried out in the tunnel.
General Officer Commanding of Telangana and Andhra Sub Area Ajay Mishra, Irrigation Adviser Aditya Nath Das, representatives of NDRF, SDRF, NGRI, GSI, SCCL, HYDRAA and officials from the Fire Services wing, contract agency MD Pankaj Gaur, Nagarkurnool district collector and SP were also present in the meeting.