DEHRADUN/SILKYARA: Trapped inside the collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara for over 200 hours now, there was — after what must have seemed an eternity — some good news for the 41 tired, scared and scarred workers.

Rescue teams on Monday, in what is being seen as a significant and the “first breakthrough”, managed to successfully create an additional supply line by inserting a six-inch diameter pipe through the debris to the other side.NHIDCL director Anshu Manish Khalkho said, “The 53m-long pipe is a veritable lifeline.We had been trying to do this for the last nine days.

This will enable us to send nutritious and larger quantities of food and other essentials like medicines in.

We’ll also be able to improve ventilation.

A microscopic camera will be sent to study their condition.”Late at night, rescuers were seen filling hot khichdi in bottles meant to be sent to the workers, the first time they will get a hot meal after days of having to make do with chickpeas, almonds, cashews and popcorn, ANI reported.The new supply line will help send more medicine - boost ventilation.Earlier, a four-inch steel pipe was being used by the rescue personnel.

But it could only send the dry food.

Some of the men had complained of stomach ache.

Even oxygen supply was maintained through this four-inch tube.District magistrate of Uttarkashi, Abhishek Ruhela, said, “We're consulting doctors and a variety of food will be sent to the workers only on their recommendation.”Parallely, Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) is working on another vertical pipeline for supply of essential items, according to officials of NHIDCL, the central government PSU which has been made coordinating agency for the multi-pronged and simultaneous rescue efforts.An NHIDCL official said: “The area in which the workers are trapped is 8.5m high and about 2km long.

This is the tunnel's built-up portion where concreting work has been done...Water and electricity are available in this part of the tunnel.”Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has sent two robots for the operation, including a remotely operated vehicle called 'Daksh'.Significantly, rescue operations were virtually on hold since Friday afternoon as the central agencies tasked for it were setting themselves up for the next stage -- working simultaneously on "five options" to reach the trapped workers.Experts from several agencies continued with their groundwork before drilling into the tunnel from multiple spots began.NHIDCL will drill with the American auger machine from the Silkyara end.

The machine is expected to resume action from Monday night, officials added.Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation (THDC), on the other hand, has started digging a "tunnel" of 2x2 metres from the Barkot side, for which heavy machinery was mobilised on Sunday.

THDC officials said, "Approximate distance from Barkot-end to the spot where the workers are trapped is about 450m."Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) will, further, conduct vertical drilling.

The point where the drilling process will be done is about 320m from the tunnel's entry.

Officials said that "roughly 89m of vertical boring needs to be done to reach the trapped workers."Sources said the first machine of SJVNL for construction of the vertical rescue tunnel has already reached the site and operations would commence after completion of the access road by Border Roads Organization (BRO).

Two more machines are being mobilised from Gujarat and Odisha.

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: DRDO robotics team joins urgent rescue efforts in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnelONGC, too, has started the initial work for vertical drilling from Barkot and the machines for that are being brought in from the USA, Mumbai and Ghaziabad, officials said.WatchUttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: Lifeline reaches trapped workers, rescue to go “with full force”