Uttarkashi Tunnel: Rescue Op Hits Snag Again, Manual Drilling From Today; Vertical Drill Team on Standby – News18

Rescue operations at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel to evacuate the 41 trapped workers again hit a pause after the auger machine got stuck while drilling through the rubble.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the teams are hopeful to get the machine out by Sunday, after which the operation would be done manually. “The plasma cutter machine has been ordered from Hyderabad to cut the auger machine…” Dhami noted.

Meanwhile, a landline connection is also being set up by BSNL at the site as a mode of communication between the workers and their family.

LATEST UPDATES

1. Preparations are underway to set up a protection umbrella inside the tunnel where rescuers are working to evacuate the 41 trapped workers.
2. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Saturday said that the rescue operation might take a long time with the auger machine facing repeated difficulties, adding that officials are now preparing for vertical drilling, a ToI report said.
3. Union Minister General VK Singh (Rtd) reached the tunnel site and took stock of the ongoing operation to rescue the workers.
4. A landline connection is being facilitated by BSNL at Silkyara tunnel to enable the trapped workers to communicate with their family members.
5. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting with all the agencies and officials involved in the ongoing rescue efforts, adding that their top priority is to get the workers out safely.
6. A part of the vertical drilling was taken to the top of the Silkyara tunnel as part of the rescue efforts taking place at the site.
7. A 12-member team of the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) is on standby mode to do vertical drilling on the tunnel. A final decision on this option is likely to be taken by SJVN and the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation.
8. “We have given a proposal to the administration to do vertical drilling in five to six days; our team has done the survey for drilling and apart from this, their drilling machine has also reached the spot to do the drilling. We are just waiting for the order to come,” an SJVN official said.
9. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also visited the tunnel site to take stock of the situation on Saturday.
10. CM Dhami, while addressing a press conference, noted that the prime minister is also concerned about the situation and takes regular updates about the ops.
11. Giving updates on the ops, CM Dhami said, “The machine got stuck after reaching so close…We are expecting that by tomorrow morning this machine will come out & after that, the operation will move forward manually…We are working on all the options.” “The plasma cutter machine has been ordered from Hyderabad to cut the auger machine…” he added.