Operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in tunnel halted

Uttarkashi (ANI): The rescue operation of 41 workers trapped in a section of the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi has been halted again after the rescue team faced a technical snag on Friday. Evening.
The drilling being done by the American-made auger machine to rescue the trapped workers was stopped after the rescue team encountered a technical glitch.
Meanwhile, talking about the drone technology being used in the rescue operations, Cyriac Joseph, MD and CEO of Squadron Infra Mining Pvt Ltd, said that it is a new technology that goes into GPS-denied areas.
“This is a new technology, it goes into areas deprived of GPS and is used in underground tunnels and underground mines. It has recently been introduced in India. Our goal is to determine how we can rescue the 41 trapped workers and how quickly we can do so. The safety of the rescue team is also important,” Joseph said.

Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said the rescue operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in a section of the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi is “in its final stages”, adding that both the central and state government agencies are working together. Have been.
He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is taking all the updates regarding the rescue operation being conducted in the Silkyara Tunnel.
“The rescue operation is in its final stages. PM Modi is taking all the updates about the difficulties faced by the workers and discussing solutions. Both the central and state government agencies are working together on the rescue operation. We hope that this operation will start soon. It will be completed and all the workers will come out,” CM Dhami said.

Meanwhile, Additional Secretary Technical, Roads and Transport Mahmood Ahmed said on Friday that the auger drilling machine, which had developed some cracks on Thursday, has been reassembled and he is hopeful that this time the pipe will be drilled without any hindrance. Will be taken forward.
“The auger drilling machine has been reassembled. After welding, a new pipe will be inserted, which will take two hours. After two hours, we will push the pipe inside the tunnel. We hope that this time we will take the pipe further and will not face any hurdles,” said Additional Secretary Ahmed.
When asked about the total length of pipes laid to save the workers, Additional Secretary Ahmed said that two more pipes of 6 meters each would have to be laid to achieve success.

Will have to be taken. “With the first 6 metres, which reaches 51-52 metres, we are hopeful of success with the next 6 meter long pipe.”
He said, “This is our own estimate and understanding. These estimates are based on some realities but these are all assumptions and cannot be taken as accurate, but we hope that somehow it will happen.”
Earlier, Bhaskar Khulbe, former advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said that a 2-metre portion of the pipe laid had to be cut as it had got compressed due to friction during drilling. He said that this happened after blockage and excess pressure in the auger heavy-duty driller on Thursday.

Speaking to ANI on Friday morning, Khulbe said that the platform on which the Augur drilling machine was installed developed some cracks on Thursday. However, the cracks have since been repaired.
While the rescue operation was underway on Thursday, some cracks developed in the platform and as a result the process of horizontal drilling through the debris had to be stopped.

“Last night, we had to rebuild the platform on which the machine is mounted. However, the Parsons Company operated a ground penetration radar, which told us that there was no metal obstruction for the next 5 meters (inside the tunnel). This means our drilling should go smoothly once it resumes. When we were clearing the debris, we found two broken pipes,” Khulbe said, adding that the stranded workers could be rescued by Friday.

Rescue operations are underway as a portion of the tunnel under construction from Silkyara to Barkot collapsed on November 12. 41 workers were trapped inside due to debris falling in a 60 meter section on the Silkyara side of the tunnel.
The workers are trapped in the 2 km constructed portion, which has been completed, including concrete work that provides them protection. (ANI)