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CM Dhami Lauds PM Modi’s Consistent Updates on Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue Operations

November 29, 2023, 11:43 am

Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed profound gratitude for the successful rescue of 41 trapped workers from the Uttarkashi tunnel. He commended Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s unwavering involvement, stating that the PM was regularly updated on the mission’s progress, offering insightful guidance throughout.

Dhami emphasized PM Modi’s hands-on approach, emphasizing that the Prime Minister meticulously monitored the rescue operation, ensuring that resources and expertise from across the country and beyond were efficiently assembled.

Dhami acknowledged the arduous journey of the rescue operation, recalling the difficulties encountered, such as debris accumulation impeding progress despite various attempts with machinery. He described the transition to manual labor after encountering numerous obstacles, which eventually led to the successful evacuation of the trapped workers.

In light of the incident, CM Dhami mentioned the government’s decision to conduct safety audits for ongoing projects like the Silkyara tunnel, prioritizing enhanced safety measures.

Additionally, Dhami paid tribute to the ITBP personnel involved in the rescue, offering prayers to the Sun God and the holy river Ganga. The workers, upon their safe evacuation, were welcomed with floral garlands and assured financial assistance by the Uttarakhand government.

The incident, occurring on November 12, resulted in the entrapment of workers beyond the 260-meter mark due to a tunnel collapse. The successful rescue was celebrated, marking a crucial victory in the face of adversity.

All 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel rescued, 17-day ordeal ends

November 28, 2023, 5:53 pm

After a harrowing ordeal which lasted 17 days, all 41 workers trapped several metres inside a tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara were rescued late Tuesday (28 November 2023). The rescue effort culminated when the last worker came out of the tunnel on a specially modified stretcher.

The stretcher was lowered into a drilled shaft which was two metres and had a pipe inserted to keep it stable and reduce the chances of debris falling and hampering the arduous rescue effort which even involved international help.

Some members from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), tasked with the rescue effort, went down the pipe to meet the workers after the drilling was complete and all checks carried out. They met the trapped, dehydrated and tired men inside the tunnel and guided them to the pipe and their eventual rescue.

The modified stretcher was manually pulled by another team based on the other side and each worker was brought out one by one to the relief and joy of not only those involved in their rescue but also to the 140 crore Indians praying for their safety.

Earlier in the day, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt General (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain provided an update on the rescue efforts, stating that the teams were close to a breakthrough after working tirelessly for the last 17 days.

At a press briefing in New Delhi, Hasnain mentioned that rat-hole mining experts, engaged in manual drilling, had reached the 58-metre mark, with just about two more metres to traverse before reaching the endpoint.

“We’re approaching a breakthrough, currently at 58 metres. There’s a mere two-metre stretch remaining. Workers reported hearing ongoing rescue noises, and we’re hopeful that the tunnel will be pierced through soon,” remarked the NDMA Member.

A temporary medical facility had been setup inside the tunnel for the evacuated workers. The health department had arranged eight beds along with a team of medical experts to provide immediate medical attention upon their rescue.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami was present inside the tunnel to oversee the rescue effort. General Vijay Kumar Singh (retd), the Union Minister of State of Road Transport and Highways of India, was also present at the site.

They greeted each man after they came out of the pipe. The state administration had arranged 41 ambulances, one for each worker which took them to a medical centre in Chinyalisaur, around 30 km away, for a detailed examination.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also briefed by CM Dhami on the rescue and relief operations. PM Modi emphasised on the importance of ensuring the safety of both the trapped workers and the rescue personnel involved.

A section of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, trapping the labourers within a 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side during construction.

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Vertical drilling underway to rescue trapped workers

November 26, 2023, 1:42 pm

On Sunday afternoon, vertical drilling, one of the several planned methods to free the 41 laborers imprisoned in Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel since November 12, finally began. A section of the high-altitude, under-construction tunnel caved in on November 12, but two locations were selected for the vertical drilling. Both are on the Silkyara side. The 15th day of ongoing rescue operations has seen the start of vertical drilling work on the top of the tunnel atop the hill by SJVN, a public sector undertaking company engaged in the generation and transmission of hydroelectric power.

As a second option, vertical drilling work has also been started in another part on top of the tunnel to create rescue space for workers trapped. This portion of the tunnel has access to electricity and water.

The rescue operations are being handled by several agencies. The Indian Air Force recently participated as well, flying vital DRDO equipment to Dehradun. The endoscopy camera was successfully inserted into the tunnel by the rescuers on Tuesday. The initial images obtained by that apparatus demonstrated that the confined laborers had sufficient room within the tunnel to maneuver.

The visuals gave new hope to worried relatives, some of whom were camping outside the site of the collapsed tunnel structure.
Meanwhile, International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix who has roped in the rescue project said on Sunday that there was no chance of a collapse in the area where the incident happened suggesting to investigation into the matter.

PM Modi calls Uttarakhand CM asking about condition of stranded workers inside Uttarkashi tunnel

November 24, 2023, 3:19 pm

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday and asked for information about the ongoing efforts to rescue the 41 workers who have been stuck at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12.

The Uttarakhand government asserts that PM Modi also questioned Chief Minister Dhami about the working conditions and provided him with some important instructions.

“We were able to gather information about the rescue operation. The PM enquired about the workers’ general well-being as well as the food and basic supplies that were provided to them while they were stranded inside the tunnel. The Department of Information and Public Relations in Uttarakhand claims that records were kept regarding the health and safety of the personnel conducting relief and rescue operations.

A section of the tunnel that was being built from Silkyara to Barkot collapsed on November 12; debris from the collapse trapped 41 laborers within the 60-meter section on the Silkyara side of the tunnel. The 2 km of built area where the workers are trapped is finished and includes concrete work that ensures their safety.

“The New Austrian Tunnel Method is being used in the construction of this tunnel, the Chief Minister told him. When steel objects are placed in front of the auger machine, he informed the PM, it hinders the work. Because the auger machine must be stopped and then removed in order to remove all blockages, this procedure takes time, according to the official release said.

It added that PM Modi specifically instructed the Chief Minister to make sure the workers’ medical needs and health examinations receive special attention after they emerge from the tunnel. In addition, CM Dhami alerted the Prime Minister about the ground-level relief and rescue operations still underway in the Silkyara Tunnel. In order to assess the state of affairs at the operation site, the PM also spoke with CM Dhami earlier on Friday.

There have been a number of obstacles encountered during the worker rescue operation.
The formation of cracks on the platform where the drilling machine manufactured in the United States was positioned is one of the latest obstructions.

Officials say that, nevertheless, it has been reinforced with an accelerating agent to speed up the concrete’s hardening process, and rescue efforts should soon resume.

Work has been done to create an escape route by installing concrete culvert blocks, steel pipes, and hume pipes for a distance of 67 meters (187 meters to 120 meters) in order to provide an emergency safe passage for the labor force during pipe pushing operations by auger machine from close to the pipe drilling machine.

Uttarkashi Tunnel rescue: NDRF demonstrates movement of wheeled stretchers through pipeline

November 24, 2023, 2:40 pm

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) held a demonstration on Friday on how wheeled stretchers would be moved through the pipeline that was set up to rescue 41 workers who were trapped in an Uttarkashi section of the Silkyara tunnel that collapsed more than a week ago.

Twelve days have passed since the workers were trapped after a section of the tunnel under construction on the Char Dham route collapsed on November 12, cutting off its exit. They are believed to be nearly free, despite continuous efforts.

The NDRF workers who entered the pipeline for the demonstration reported that they were able to exit the structure without difficulty and that they did not have any breathing issues while performing the exercise. The inserted pipe had to have a 2-meter section cut off because friction during drilling compressed it, according to Bhaskar Khulbe, a former advisor to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). According to him, this occurred on Thursday after the auger heavy-duty driller ran into a barrier and applied additional pressure.

The platform that the Augur drilling machine was mounted on experienced some cracks on Thursday, according to Khulbe, who spoke with ANI on Friday morning. That being said, he did inform that the cracks had been fixed since.

Rescue operations are anticipated to resume soon, according to the former PMO advisor, after the 25-tonne platform, which holds the massive American Auger machine, was strengthened with an accelerating agent to speed up the hardening of concrete.
Drilling through the debris horizontally had to be stopped because the platform cracked while the rescue operation was going on Thursday.

“We had to redesign the platform last night in order to accommodate the machine. But according to ground penetration radar operated by Parsons Company, there are no metallic obstacles for the next five meters (inside the tunnel). This implies that when our drilling gets going again, it should go easily. We found two broken pipes when we were clearing the debris,” Khulbe stated, adding that the workers who were trapped might be freed by Friday.

41 laborers were trapped inside the 60-meter section of the under-construction tunnel on the Silkyara side when it collapsed on November 12. The tunnel was being built from Silkyara to Barkot. The 2 km of constructed area in which the workers are imprisoned is finished and includes safety-enhancing concrete work.

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Kin anxiously wait for return of workers as rescue operation is nearing its end

November 24, 2023, 2:16 pm

The relatives of the trapped laborers pray for their loved ones’ safe return as the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operations enter a crucial phase on Friday. The brother of a laborer who got stuck said he wanted his brother back as soon as possible. Haridwar Sharma, the brother of laborer Sushil Sharma who is stranded, told that “We spoke to him this morning via walkie talkie. We asked about his well-being during the conversation, and my brother also inquired about the other family members. Within the tunnel, food, drink, and clothing are all at their disposal. All I want is for him to get back safely.”

Brother of another stranded worker said that all his family members are anxiously waiting for him to come back.
“My brother Sonu Shah is stuck inside the tunnel for the last 12 days but his courage is high. Inside the tunnel he is getting everything like food, clothes, brush paste. I spoke to him this morning around 8:00 am. He also hopes that his rescue operation will happen soon. As family members, we are also very excited. When will we see them and every member of the family is waiting for his return”, Sudhanshu Shah, brother of stranded soldier Sonu Shah said.

Only a few meters needed to be drilled, according to officials, in order for the rescuers to reach the trapped workers, marking the critical phase of the operations that began on Thursday. However, the rescue efforts were temporarily suspended on Thursday due to another technical issue with the platform that supported the Auger drilling machine that was slicing through the debris.

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: 41 ambulances scheduled at spot, doctors on standby

November 23, 2023, 4:28 pm

An official stated on Thursday that 41 ambulances have been dispatched to the location of the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers are still trapped.
According to Mukesh Nautiyal, the project manager for the Operation 108 Ambulance initiative, of the 41 ambulances, 31 are part of “108,” and the remaining 10 were given by the government.

“There are 41 ambulances where 31 ambulances are of ‘108’ while the other 10 have been provided by the administration. Out of 31, 7 are ALS, while others are BLS. ALS stands for Advanced Life Support, and BLS is Basic Life Support. 27 ambulances are here, and there are 5 ambulances near the tunnel. All the ambulances are well equipped, it’s like a mini emergency,” Nautiyal exclaimed.

According to Narendra Badoni, the District Program Officer of 108 Ambulance, serious patients will be moved to an ambulance designated as “Advanced Life Support” and all ambulances will be assigned numbers.

“We have been given the direction that as the workers will be rescued from the Silkyara tunnel, the ambulances will be numbered, and we will be informed which ambulance will go where. Serious patients will be shifted to ALS, and normal patients will be kept in BLS. ALS is advanced life support with a cardiac monitor, and BLS is basic life support,” he said.
Earlier today, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra wished for the safety of 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel and urged the Government to provide proper compensation to them.

Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse: CM Dhami reaches Uttarkashi tunnel collapse site, speaks to stranded workers

November 23, 2023, 2:59 pm

According to a statement released by the Chief Minister’s Office on Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi and prayed to the Baukh Nag Devta for the safety of all the trapped workers. Inquiring about their well-being and informing them of the swift rescue effort underway to safely extract them, CM Dhami reportedly spoke with two of the workers stranded in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi: Gabbar Singh Negi and Saba Ahmed.

The statement mentioned that both the workers while speaking to CM Dhami, informed that all the other workers were healthy and safe.
CM Dhami said that he also informed the workers about Prime Minister Narendra Modi continuously taking information about the situation and monitoring the rescue operations.

The chief minister of Uttarakhand also assured the stranded laborers that rescue efforts were proceeding appropriately and that they would all soon be reunited with their families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Chief Minister Dhami earlier in the day to inquire about the status of the ongoing rescue effort for the 41 workers who have been stuck at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12.

In a series of posts on X, CM Dhami said, “Respected Prime Minister Narendra Modi called today and took information about the ongoing rescue operation of the workers trapped at Silkyara tunnel, Uttarkashi.”

Uttarkashi Tunnel collapse: Survivors would need physical and mental rehabilitation, according to doctors

November 16, 2023, 6:03 pm

Doctors advised that after being rescued, the workers trapped in the collapsed under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand would require both physical and mental rehabilitation. The under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route collapsed four days ago, trapping 40 workers in total. The laborers are safe, and officials said on Wednesday that pipes are continuously supplying them with water, food, medicine, oxygen, and electricity. According to doctors, the survivors of this incident may be going through a traumatic experience because they are probably experiencing both physical and mental stress. The victims’ prolonged confinement to small areas may cause panic attacks, according to Dr. Ajay Agarwal, director of internal medicine at Fortis Hospital in Noida.

When the body is unable to adjust its temperature in response to outside temperatures, it starts to lose heat more quickly than it is able to produce it, which causes body temperatures to drop to subnormal levels. This condition is known as hypothermia. For those employees who suffer from long-term health issues like diabetes or heart disease, Agarwal warned that although a steady supply of food and water might keep them physically afloat and prevent dehydration, things might get worse. But in addition to providing physical support, the food and water supplies will probably give the stranded victims a psychological boost and convey the message that “help is not far,” the doctor added.

He continued, “This may lessen anxiety and lessen the likelihood of ketosis.” During starvation, the body naturally enters a state known as ketosis. The victims would need to be treated if they were found to be hypothermic or dehydrated after being rescued, according to Agarwal.

Uttarkashi Tunnel collapse: “Effort is to complete rescue operation within 2-3 days,”according to VK Singh

November 16, 2023, 3:33 pm

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.

Uttarkashi Tunnel collapse: “PM Modi reviewing rescue operation, in constant contact with us,” says CM Dhami

November 16, 2023, 1:38 pm

According to Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is examining the efforts being made to free the 40 workers who are stranded inside the collapsed tunnel that was under construction in Uttarkashi. “We communicate with the stranded individuals on a regular basis. That’s where all the arrangements are being made for them. Nobody is in danger. With only 400 meters remaining, the tunnel was almost finished thanks to work done by the NHIDCL. We’ll go over everything now… PM Modi is keeping an eye on the rescue effort and keeps in constant communication with all of us,” Dhami told. Early on November 12, the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway tunnel that connected Silkyara and Dandalgaon collapsed.

Dhami said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured of all possible assistance.
The chief minister said that the main priority was to evacuate all 40 workers trapped in the tunnel.
Earlier today, Union Minister and former Army chief General VK Singh visited the site and took stock of the rescue operation.
“The rescue operation is underway; we have full hope. We are trying our best,” Singh said.
The Chief Minister this morning also held a review meeting with senior officials at the state secretariat.
Colonel Deepak Patil who is leading the rescue efforts of the National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) said, “Union Minister (General VK Singh (Retd) was here and he talked to the labourers. He assured them, and those labourers responded and they liked it.”

Rescuers confident of evacuating 40 workers struck at the Uttarkashi Tunnel Collapse site for 96 hours

November 16, 2023, 12:46 pm

For the fifth day, relief and rescue efforts are being carried out in the Uttarkashi tunnel collapse incident in an attempt to free the forty trapped workers. Early on November 12, a tunnel that was being built between Silkyara and Dandalgaon on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway collapsed. The sources state that the workers will be transported to Rishikesh AIIMS for treatment following the rescue operation.

“The installation work of the machines airlifted from Delhi has been done and the rescue operation work is underway,” Anshu Manish Khulko, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) Tunnel Project Director told.

Dharam Singh, father of one of the labourers trapped inside, said that his son is also trapped inside the tunnel, adding that he spoke to his son and gave him courage.
“My 20-year-old son Vijay Kumar is trapped inside the tunnel. I spoke to my son for a little while and I gave him courage and assured him that everything would be fine and he would be brought out by this evening. Food and water are being provided to him in small quantities,” Dharam Singh said.

Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, examined the ongoing rescue and relief efforts in the tunnel that is being built in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, earlier on Wednesday. The Chief Minister’s Office reports that the CM has directed the state government to work with federal agencies and conduct rescue operations around-the-clock. According to a statement from the CMO, the administration has provided phone numbers for ongoing contact and communication with the families of the workers trapped in the tunnel.