Union Minister Gen VK Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami have arrived at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi to oversee the final phase of the rescue operation, where 41 men have been trapped for the past 11 days.
Despite nearing the completion of the rescue mission at the Uttarkashi Silkyara tunnel, the process is anticipated to take an additional 12-14 hours. Progress was momentarily impeded when an iron mesh obstructed the US-made auger machine’s drilling on Thursday. Following the removal of the obstruction, drilling has resumed.
Current Situation at the Silkyara Tunnel
The rescuers are laying down the final 12 meters of the pipeline, which took six hours to clear the iron mesh that impeded progress.
Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office, mentioned, “We have successfully removed the steel that was obstructing the pipe movement. We are attempting to progress 6 meters beyond the 45-meter mark reached earlier. Last night, drilling was disrupted due to an iron obstruction, but we expect no further impediments.”
Union Minister Gen VK Singh (Retd) and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami arrived at the site around 10:30 am to supervise the final phase of the 12-day operation.
International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix stated, “We are currently at the front door, knocking on it. We are aware that the men are on the other side.”
The NDRF personnel have transported oxygen cylinders to assist in the ongoing rescue effort at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel.
Post-Rescue Plans for the 41 Trapped Men
Once rescued, immediate medical care will be provided to the 41 men.
Ambulances are stationed outside the tunnel, ready to transport them through a dedicated green corridor to the health center.
A 41-bed ward has been established at the Chinyalisaur community health center, and if necessary, they will be transferred to Rishikesh for further treatment.
The rescued workers will undergo a comprehensive medical examination at the hospital.
Summary of Events from November 12
The incident occurred on November 12, trapping 41 workers within an area of 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometers in length in the under-construction tunnel. The rescue effort involved drilling through debris and creating a safe passage for the trapped workers.
Rescue operations began on November 16 with the deployment of a US-made high-performance auger machine, capable of drilling approximately 3 meters of debris per hour.
Before November 16, regular auger machines were used without success.
On November 17, the drilling was temporarily halted due to a snag in the machine, fearing potential cave-ins.
On October 21, an endoscopic camera was inserted to capture footage of the trapped workers after ten days of the operation.
The trapped workers were provided hot, cooked food for the first time on October 21.
