INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
DEHRADUN/ SILKYARA: The multi-agency operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi finally succeeded after
days of ups and downs, waves of hope and despair on Tuesday evening when all of them were safely brought out
The massive effort, unprecedented in its magnitude and ambition, ended an ordeal that lasted 17 days and had the entire government
machinery, including the PMO, putting its might behind the evacuation exercise.Also See: Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue NewsUttarkashi Rescue
Explained | How Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Operation Unfolded in 17 days | TimelineAt 7.28pm, when the first trapped worker, Vijay Horo, was
wheeled out on a stretcher by NDRF personnel, emotions ran high and cheers broke out amongst the rescue personnel, who had quite literally
moved mountains to get the men out.Earlier, at 7.12pm, a team of doctors and NDRF men had first entered the tunnel as part of a pre-decided
After the final leg of the mission, which lasted just over an hour, saw the harried but stoic workers walking out, they were welcomed with
garlands by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Union minister of state for road transport and highways Gen VK Singh (retd).Anurag Jain, secretary,
MoRTH, said, "It was an unprecedented operation
Key factors working in our favor included access to electricity, water, and ample space for the trapped workers
Subsequently, when we established the supply line, the situation became more manageable."Talking about the challenges, he mentioned that a
minor earthquake on November 16 caused the debris to shift 3 inches inside the tunnel
Furthermore, "a loud cracking sound the following day panicked the workers, leading us to halt the work for three days".Jain told TOI that
experts believed "there was a possibility of the tunnel face collapsing, which could pose a significant setback to the entire operation
Consequently, we opted to formulate multiple strategies (five-pronged, as reported by this newspaper earlier) in case such an eventuality
occurred".A rapid physical test was conducted on Tuesday evening for the workers inside the main tunnel itself where a team of 28 medical
staff consisting of 15 doctors, pharmacists and ward boys was deployed
Most of them recorded high BP which was attributed to anxiety, having been in such a situation for so long
1 lakh to each of the workers
He added that the state government would bear all the expenses of their treatment and that he would request authorities of NHIDCL, the
executing agency of the tunnel project, to provide 15 to 20 days leave to help them go back to their respective states.The penultimate part
of the rescue, which lasted over 40 hours, had turned out to be a test of determination and endurance for individuals on both ends of the 57
meters of rubble (behind which the workers were stuck).Uttarkashi rescue operations: Blades of auger machine damaged, brought out of
Silkyara tunnelThe biggest setback was the breakdown of the auger machine used in drilling an escape passage through the debris
Expressing the despair that the situation had created all around, Haridwar Sharma, whose brother Sushil Sharma was among those trapped
inside, had said, "We are sensing that it is our misfortune, and now only a miracle from God can bring about a change."The "miracle" that
stretch of debris by Tuesday morning, achieving in less than 24 hours what drilling machines deployed for the past several days could
not.Once that was done, rescue personnel were able to push inside 800mm pipes, welded together, which served as an escape tunnel through
which the stranded workers eventually came out.(With inputs by Shivani Azad - Kautilya Singh)
