Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: PMO takes charge of operations, rescuers to drill vertical hole

The ongoing rescue work outside the tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, where the collapse occurred, is crucial for reaching the trapped workers. (File photo)

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has reportedly took control of rescue operations aimed at reaching workers trapped in the collapsed highway tunnel in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, for the last eight days. The PMO issued a statement late on Saturday, indicating the Centre’s commitment to saving the lives of the trapped labourers.

The government convened a high-level meeting on November 18 to explore various options for rescuing the workers and different agencies were reportedly assigned specific alternatives to work on during the meeting.

Mahmood Ahmed, the managing director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (NHIDCL), has been assigned the responsibility of coordinating with all central agencies and has been stationed at Silkyara for the rescue operations. The Uttarakhand government has designated IAS officer Neeraj Khairwal as the nodal officer for coordination.

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Bhaskar Khulbe, former secretary to the PM and now an advisor to the state government, who visited the site on November 18, told the Times of India: “We are looking at a maximum of 4 to 5 days to complete this operation. We might achieve it before that time as well. The plan is to carry out work on all the discussed options simultaneously.”

Moneycontrol could not independently verify the report.

The five options are likely to be: exploring the possibility of vertical drilling on top of the tunnel; excavating two escape channels/tunnels on either side of the Silkyara tunnel; digging a tunnel from the Barkot side; and carrying out the earlier technique of pushing pipes using an auger boring machine.

This website on November 18 reported that Uttarakhand Chief Minister said that the state government would provide food, shelter, and medical care to the families of the 41 workers trapped in the collapsed tunnel.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is continuously taking updates on the rescue operation. All possible support is being given by the state government to the agencies working at ground zero," the Chief Minister’s Office had said in a statement.

As time is running out for the trapped workers in the collapsed Silkyara tunnel, officials have initiated preparations to drill a vertical hole from the top of the hill under which the tunnel is located.

However, the rescue team has been facing challenges in drilling horizontally through the debris inside the collapsed tunnel. The augur machine used for drilling broke on November 17, leading to a temporary setback. A new high-performance auger machine has been flown in to replace the faulty one.

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The rescue team is confronted with the challenge of 60 meters of debris separating them from the trapped workers inside the collapsed tunnel. Although pipes designed for the rescue mission have been successfully inserted into approximately 25 meters of the debris, there is still an additional stretch to cover before reaching the 41 workers who are awaiting rescue.

The Silkyara tunnel, located about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi, is a crucial part of the Char Dham all-weather road project. The vertical drilling is considered as one of the potential options to reach the trapped workers and facilitate their rescue.