Taking stock of the operation on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways VK Singh stated that the government and all of its agencies are doing everything within their power to finish the rescue of 40 workers who are trapped inside the collapsing Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi within two to three days.
“Government, all its agencies and experts with whom we can communicate–the efforts of all of us are aimed at rescuing the workers at the earliest. I have spoken with them and their morale is high. They understand that all efforts are being made for them and we are weighing all options to rescue them,” Singh told reporters in Uttarkashi.
The tunnel between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed in the early hours of November 12.
He further said that the labourers were confined in a small space of about 2 kilometres in the debris and they were sending in food and water and oxygen via a pipe to the trapped workers.
“Our priority is to rescue them sooner. Efforts are being made for this. All the agencies are putting effort into this. A new machine is working, whose power and speed are better than the old machine. Our effort is to complete this rescue operation within two to three days. We are also taking the help of international experts. They know that the government is working to rescue them,” the minister said.
Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, stated earlier today that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was assessing the rescue effort to remove 40 workers. “We communicate with the trapped on a regular basis. That’s where all the arrangements are being made for them. Nobody is in danger. The tunnel was almost finished, thanks to the efforts of the NHIDCL.
