Page 30 - Uttarakhand

Union Min VK Singh reaches Uttarkashi tunnel site to inspect rescue ops

Union Minister of State for Road Transport & Highways, General (retd) VK Singh, reached the Silkyara tunnel site on Friday to take stock of the ongoing efforts to rescue 41 trapped workers.The workers have now been trapped for 13 days on the opposite end of a portion of the under-construction tunnel, which collapsed on November 12.The rescue operations entered its final phase on Thursday, with officials saying that only a few metres were left to be drilled for the rescuers to reach the trapped workers.However, due to another technical snag in the auger drilling machine, which had been specially requisitioned for cutting through the debris, the rescue operations were briefly halted on Thursday.The rescuers drilled up to 46.8 metres inside the Silkyara tunnel till 10.20 pm on Thursday."Currently, the drilling machine is being repaired and it will take a few more hours to get it going again. Unless fresh problems crop up, the rescue operation should resume after 9 am tomorrow," an .

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: CM Dhami tracks ops from temporary office camp

The ongoing rescue work entered its 13th day on Friday, with the trapped workers deemed safe and in good spirits

Uttarkashi tunnel rescue: Drilling work on hold at Silkyara tunnel

Pipe laid through the rubble to prepare an escape route for workers trapped at the Silkyara tunnel remained stalled on Friday morning with the platform on which the drilling machine stands being stabilised by shotcreting, an official said. Boring through the rubble was put on hold again Thursday apparently after cracks appeared in the platform on which the drilling machine rests, in a fresh hurdle to the rescue of 41 workers trapped inside for 12 days. The dampener came hours after the operation resumed earlier in the day, following a six-hour delay to cut through an iron girder that came in the way of the auger machine late Wednesday night. This is the third time that the drilling exercise has been halted since the multi-agency rescue mission began on November 12 after a stretch of the under-construction tunnel in Uttarakhand's Char Dham route collapsed.

U'khand tunnel: Board games, cards to help trapped workers relieve stress

Rescuers plan to provide board games and playing cards to the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel for 12 days as the operation to evacuate them continues to get disrupted by multiple delays, an official said on Thursday. Late on Thursday, boring through the rubble of the collapsed tunnel was put on hold again, apparently after cracks appeared in the platform on which the drilling machine rests. Dr Rohit Gondwal, one of the psychiatrists at the rescue site, told PTI, "We are planning to provide ludo and chess boards and playing cards to help them (trapped labourers) relieve stress. The operation is getting delayed and it appears that it will take some more time." He said all 41 workers are fine but need to stay healthy and mentally fit. "They told us that they play 'chor-police', do yoga and exercise daily to de-stress," Gondwal said. Speaking on the mental health of the trapped workers, another medical expert said their morale needs to stay high and they must remain ...

Uttarkashi tunnel incident: Drone cameras are being used for monitoring

The workers have been trapped for 13 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed on November 12

Lack of safety standards will hamper tunnel safety audit in India

Neither has the Comptroller and Auditor General apparently conducted any audit ever to assess safety issues in such projects, satisfying itself with only checks on the money spent in the projects

So near yet so far: Rescue operations in Uttarkashi tunnel halted

From 22 metres, the pipe had reached 45 metres till Wednesday night, but the auger machine had to temporarily halt operations after an iron girder was encountered by authorities at the site

U'khand tunnel collapse: 'You can't act surprised,' says environment expert

While large projects in India are required by law to undergo an Environmental Impacts Assessment, the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand was exempt as it is divided into segments smaller than 100 km each

LIVE updates: Hearing for Adani-Hindenburg case scheduled for Friday

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Anand Mahindra prays for rescue of 41 trapped workers in Uttarkashi tunnel

The MC Group Chairman requested NDRF personnel for a rapid rescue. The labourers were trapped inside after a landslide on Diwali. The tunnel is a part of the centre's Char Dham project

Rescue operations at Silkyara tunnel to take 12-14 hours more: Khulbe

An iron mesh that came in the path of the drilling machine creating an escape passage for the workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel was removed on Thursday morning but has delayed the rescue operation by 12 to 14 hours, a senior official said. Former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said removing the mesh in a claustrophobic environment inside the pipe was difficult. "It took us six hours to remove it. But the good news is that we have cleared the hurdle which came yesterday after drilling up to 45 metres had been done," Khulbe told reporters. Now the process of assembling to go beyond 45 metres which requires welding the pipes has been restarted. The drilling will also resume soon, he said. It will take around 12 to 14 hours more to complete the whole operation of reaching the workers. After that, it will take three more hours to take out the workers one by one. That will be done with the help of NDRF, Khulbe said. Union Minister of State for Road Transport

Steel rods blocking rescue efforts removed at Slikyara Tunnel collapse site

According to Kulbe one of the main hindrances, the presence of steel rods along the path of the rescue pipes have now been removed

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Laying of 12-metre pipeline still left

The workers have been trapped since November 12, when the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot got blocked due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side

U'khand tunnel collapse exposes callous attitude towards safety: Unions

Central trade unions said the Silkyara Tunnel collapse in Uttarakashi in which 41 workers remain trapped "exposes the callous attitude" of the government towards the occupational safety and health of the workers. "The Platform of Central Trade Unions and Sectoral Federations/Associations express their anguish at the failure of the authorities to take responsibility for the Silkyara Tunnel collapse in Uttarakashi, Uttarakhand," said a joint statement issued by eleven trade unions and sectoral federations. The signatories include Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), All India United Trade Union Centre (AIUTUC), Trade Union Coordination Centre (TUCC), Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA), All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), Labour Progressive Federation (LPF), United Trade Union Congress (UTUC), and independent Sectoral Federations and ...

Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: Rescue op to save 41 workers in final stages

The workers have been trapped since November 12 when the under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot got blocked due to debris falling in a 60-meter stretch on the Silkyara side

Silkyara Tunnel collapse: 15-men NDRF team roped in rescue of 41 workers

A 15-man strong NDRF team led by a commandant has been tasked to take out one by one the 41 labourers stuck for the last 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi. The evacuation method which involves a series of 800 mm diameter steel pipes has proven to be a big challenge for the rescuers so far. The NDRF jawans have conducted a mock drill on how they will go through the pipe to the other side of the rubble where the labourers are stuck, NDRF second-in-command (2 ic) Ravi Shankar Badhani told PTI. A team of doctors has been deployed inside the tunnel as well as ambulances outside for the safe passage of the rescued. According to the evacuation plan, wheel-fitted low-height stretchers will be taken to the other side where workers are trapped, a government source said. The men from the National Disaster Response Force, wearing oxygen kits, will crawl through the pipe carrying a stretcher, a rope, and oxygen kits for workers. "The stretcher will be tied with ropes from

Jharkhand govt to airlift trapped workers after Silkyara tunnel evacuation

The Jharkhand government has planned to airlift workers belonging to the state who were among the 41 people trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand after their rescue. There are around 15 workers from Jharkhand trapped in the tunnel. An official from the Jharkhand labour department present at the rescue spot told PTI that the state government has planned to airlift the workers belonging to their state. Another official said the rescued workers will be taken to a hospital at Chilyanisaur in Uttarkashi where a separate ward with 41 oxygen-supported beds has been prepared. Depending upon their medical condition, they will be kept under observation at the hospital before being allowed to go back to their homes. The trapped workers belong to Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Assam. The multi-agency effort to rescue 41 men trapped in the Silkyara tunnel appeared close to success on Wednesday evening. Till 6 pm, up to 44 metre

Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: 45 m drilling completed, 12 m more to go

Inching closer to their goal, rescuers have inserted wide pipes up to 45 metres through the rubble and will have to drill another around 12 metres to reach the 41 workers trapped inside the collapsed tunnel in Silkyara for 10 days, officials said Wednesday afternoon. The authorities have also made elaborate healthcare arrangements for the workers as and when they crawl out through the pipe. Speaking to reporters at the site around 4.30 pm, former advisor to the prime minister's office Bhaskar Khulbe said, "We are very happy to inform you that (drilling of) a length of six metres has been achieved over the past one hour. Hopefully the next two-three hours will be comfortable in terms of assembling for the next push and attaining what all of us are waiting for. I hope that when we assemble again at 8 pm we have some similar good news to share with you." He has been regularly briefing the media on the rescue efforts. NHIDCL MD Mahmood Ahmed and Khulbe had told reporters earlier in the

Tunnel collapse: Big news expected in next 24 hours, says official

Drilling with the American auger machine resumed at the Silkyara tunnel overnight to prepare an escape passage for the 41 workers trapped inside for more than 10 days, officials said on Wednesday. According to officials, 800 mm diameter steel pipes have been inserted up to 39 metres through the rubble, with another 14 metres to go before the rescuers reach the trapped labourers. Once the drilling is complete, the passage will be used to evacuate the labourers from the tunnel. "We have pushed in the pipes up to 39 metres by now. Everything is fine. I have spoken to them (trapped workers). Their morale is high," former advisor to the PMO Bhaskar Khulbe told reporters in Silkyara. Asked to spell out a timeline for the evacuation, he said, "We hope to celebrate Igas with them". Igas is a festival celebrated in the Garhwal region after Diwali. It will take place on Thursday. The drilling was suspended since Friday when the auger machine hit a hard object. But the resumption is likely

Uttarkashi tunnel: Location for drilling identified to evacuate 41 trapped

Road work for vertical drilling on the hill above the tunnel is almost complete, says Anshu Manish Khulko, Director, NHIDCL