As the rescue work at the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand where at least 41 workers have been trapped continued even after undergoing several setbacks, authorities have come up with a five-point plan that involves drilling operations from three sides.
There will be a vertical drilling operation taking place from the top of the hill under which the workers are trapped. The efforts to drill horizontally through the debris blocking the tunnel at the Silkyara side will continue, and an operation to drill a small tunnel from the Barkot side will also begin, according to the plans.
As rescue operations continued for the eighth day, Road, Transport and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain in a video update on Sunday said that the government is committed to rescuing all the labourers safely and it is sending multivitamins, antidepressants and dried fruits to the workers, PTI reported.
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“Five options were decided and five different agencies were detailed to carry out these options. 5 agencies namely Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Sutluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVNL), Rail Vikas Nigam Limited(RVNL), National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), and Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Limited (THDCL) have been assigned responsibilities,” Jain said.
In addition to this, the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has created an access road to, and built a platform at, the top of the hill where vertical drilling is set to take place. Under the five-point plan, RVNL has started work on a six-inch-wide vertical pipeline from this platform into the place where the workers are trapped. This pipe will work as another means by which supplies can be passed to them.
The Silkyara Tunnel, about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from the Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, is part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government. The tunnel is being constructed under NHIDCL.
Meanwhile, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari visited the spot on Sunday, along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and reviewed the rescue operations. Gadkari said that if the machines brought in for the drilling work properly, the workers would be rescued in two to three days. In the meantime, those trapped are safe and in good spirits, he said, PTI reported.
What is the five-point action plan?
So far, the workers had been provided food items such as channa, murmure, dry fruits and medicines through a four-inch compressor pipeline. The NHIDCL is also creating another six-inch pipeline, which can provide the workers with more types of food, like bread, vegetables, rice, and other heavier meals. The vertical supply pipeline being built by RVNL will be in addition to these two horizontal ones, Indian Express reported.
Under the second part of the plan, SJVNL will drill a vertical tunnel from the top of the hill to rescue the trapped labourers. Accordingly, equipment has been mobilised from Gujarat and Odisha with the help of the Railways. ONGC, which has expertise in deep drilling, has also taken part in the initial work of drilling the vertical tunnel.
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The third part of the plan involves horizontally drilling 483 metres to reach the workers by creating a “micro” tunnel from the Barkot side. This will be undertaken by THDCL. Heavy machinery has already been mobilised and the work is expected to start by Sunday night.
The fourth part is the strengthening of the existing tunnel, and after working on safety arrangements, NHIDCL will continue to drill from the Silkyara end under the fifth part of the plan.
In the week since the tunnel collapse, several methods have been employed in a bid to rescue those trapped, including using large excavators to remove the debris and then trying to drill through the debris using different drilling machines.
(With inputs from PTI)