Uttarakhand tunnel: As ex-PMO advisor says rescue imminent, PM Modi calls CM Dhami

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and took stock of the rescue operation to evacuate workers trapped in the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, according to reports. Incidentally, part of this very same tunnel had collapsed in 2019, too, though no workers were trapped inside.

This news emerges on the heels of a statement by former adviser to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe, that the rescue operation at the tunnel would conclude by Friday evening, and "hopefully 41 trapped workers will be evacuated".

"The drilling resumed at 11.30 am. The situation now is better. On Thursday, we had to work on two things — repairing a cracked platform for the American auger drilling machine and ground penetration radar work. With this work, we got to know there is no metal obstacle up to five metres. When we were removing the debris, two pipes were found."

PM Modi, who has been in touch with the chief minister since 12 November when the tunnel collapsed, trapping 41 workers inside, has reportedly instructed Dhami to make arrangements for their health check-up and medical care after their evacuation.

On hindrances to the rescue operation, Dhami told the prime minister that a parallel tunnel is being constructed to the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel using the new Austrian tunnel method, and the work is hampered when metallic items obstruct auger machine.

As reported earlier, the under-construction tunnel on Uttarakhand’s Yamunotri National Highway is part of the Modi government’s ambitious Rs 12,000-crore Char Dham project, whose foundation stone was laid by PM Modi in 2016, and which aims to improve connectivity to the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath.

The 4.5 km tunnel, scheduled for completion in February 2024, is meant to connect Silkyara to Dandalgaon in the state's Uttarkashi district. But this incident is the most recent in a long line of mishaps that have plagued the construction of what is being touted as one of the longest tunnels under the Char Dham project.

Touted as a way of providing employment to local youth, the Char Dham project seems not to have made much progress on that score either, given that only two of the trapped workers are from Uttarakhand.

On Thursday 23 November, the operation to rescue the 41 workers was halted after the platform supporting the auger machine which is drilling through the debris collapsed in the evening. Rescue team member Girish Singh Rawat said: "Drilling cannot be done until the platform is ready. It may take five to six hours to get the platform ready."

"So far, around 45 m of drilling has been completed and about 10 to 12 meters of drilling work is left. As soon as the drilling is completed, the workers trapped in the tunnel will be rescued and will be taken to a hospital," Rawat added.

Earlier on Thursday, Dhami reached Silkyara and took stock of the rescue operation. He also spoke to the trapped workers through a walkie-talkie. Drilling work was halted on Thursday night owing to a steel pipe, and resumed after cutting and removing it.

Uttarkashi DM Abhishek Ruhela, who also reached the tunnel site, said the rescue operation is almost in its final stage. "A pipeline is being laid in the tunnel to evacuate the workers. The pieces of steel stuck in the debris have been removed. Hopefully, positive results will come soon."

With inputs from IANS