News Highlights: All 41 trapped workers in Uttarakhand tunnel successfully rescued

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"We are owed respect to our inherent dignity... Israel has no right to self-defense against a people that it occupies," Palestinian foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki said at the UN Security Council.

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SDRF workers engaged in the rescue operations say, "It is a big day for us today. All the workers have finally been rescued successfully. It was a very difficult operation. All the trapped workers are healthy and safe."

NDRF personnel Manmohan Singh Rawat says, "As soon as I entered inside, all the 41 trapped workers shouted 'NDRF ki jai ho', they were all extremely happy. It was a little difficult to enter inside but we were trained very well. Three people went inside and then some SDRF rescuers also joined us. The first worker rescued was the oldest among them...It took us around 1.5 hours to rescue all the 41 workers."

Mohsen Shahidi, DIG, NDRF says, " Rescuing 41 trapped workers itself was a challenge...last intervention was a joint operation from NDRF and SDRF. So many agencies were involved in the rescue operations. This operation happened successfully because of the proper coordination."

President Droupadi Murmu tweets, "I feel relieved and happy to learn that all the workers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarakhand have been rescued. Their travails over 17 days, as the rescue effort met with obstacles, have been a testament of human endurance. The nation salutes their resilience and remains grateful to them for building critical infrastructure, even at great personal risk, far away from their homes. I congratulate the teams and all experts who have acted with incredible grit and determination to perform one of the most difficult rescue missions in history."

PM Narendra Modi tweets, "The success of the rescue operation of our labour brothers in Uttarkashi is making everyone emotional. I want to say to the friends who were trapped in the tunnel that your courage and patience are inspiring everyone. I wish you all well and good health. It is a matter of great satisfaction that after a long wait, these friends of ours will now meet their loved ones. The patience and courage that all these families have shown in this challenging time cannot be appreciated enough. I also salute the spirit of all the people associated with this rescue operation. Their bravery and determination have given new life to our labour brothers. Everyone involved in this mission has set an amazing example of humanity and teamwork."

Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), Member, NDMA, says "...In the last 1-2 hours, the NDRF has led the operation. They have gone inside and brought the trapped workers outside. Before that, it was the rat miners and the army engineers who were there working on this manual digging which was taking place. At every phase of this operation, there have been different agencies going in and doing specialized work. When the 41st person Is out, I am told that now at 60 to 80 meters away from the site of the collapse, within the opening of the tunnel, there is an 8-bed hospital which has been created there, and all of them are coming. There the little medical checkups are being done."

Union Home Minister Amit Shah tweets, "It is great news for the nation that all our 41 Shramik brothers trapped in a tunnel in Uttarkashi have been rescued safe and sound. Nation salutes their grit in facing such a challenging situation in the tunnel for so long. My heartfelt gratitude to all the people and the agencies that have made tireless efforts to save the lives of our fellow citizens."

"I feel extremely happy with the news of the safe rescue of all the workers trapped in the tunnel accident in the Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand. The whole country was keeping an eye on this operation. The entire country has heaved a sigh of relief with its success. This is a moment of joy for the families of all labourers. I congratulate his family," tweets Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, " I want to thank all the members who were part of this rescue operation...PM Modi was constantly in touch with me and was taking updates of the rescue op. He gave me the duty to rescue everyone safely anyhow.. without his support, this wouldn't have been possible. He spoke to me just now and instructed that medical check-ups of everyone must be done... and facilities must be done to take them to their homes."

CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, They(workers) all have come out from a different environment and condition so we will do as per the advice of the doctors...first they will be kept under medical supervision, their monitoring will be done...no one is critical."

Union Minister Gadkari announces successful rescue of 41 trapped laborers

Gadkari tweets, "I am completely relieved and happy as 41 trapped laborers in the Silkyara Tunnel Collapse have been successfully rescued."

Uttarakhand Tunnel Rescue Operation Live: 15 workers from among the 41 trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel successfully rescued so far

"Now, it's like an open road and anyone can come and go," says Balinder Yadav, a worker involved in the rescue operation.

"Seven workers have been taken out, and the rest of them will be rescued soon," says rescue team member.

Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, says, "Nearly 170 hostages are left... We are aiming for two things: One is to eliminate the capacity of Hamas. And the other is to release the hostages... We are working on both of them."

Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, says, "...The minute we finish the ceasefire, we are going back to the mission... The ceasefire was to enable the release of hostages..."

Shinde group's counsel Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani says, " I think we have successfully established that almost every document they (Uddhav Thackeray Faction) have filed in the Supreme Court is bogus and they have put fake signature of some MLAs also, those MLAs have filed affidavits and they will be coming and giving evidence about it...all these documents are the documents based on which they want to file disqualification..."

Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, says, "...The Indian position from day one on the Gaza crisis is remarkable... PM Modi’s reaction came out, and he was very clear and adamant against terrorism... Since then, the Indian position has been very consistent..."

"The minute we finish the ceasefire, we are going back to the mission... The ceasefire was to enable the release of hostages..."

-Forecast doesn't indicate average air quality of Delhi slipping into ‘severe’ category in coming days says Commission for Air Quality Management
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Israel's Ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, says, "...Nearly 170 hostages are left... We are aiming for two things: One is to eliminate the capacity of Hamas... And the other is to release the hostages... We are working on both of them..."

Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side in the Gyanvapi survey case, says, "...Today the matter could not be heard before the district court of Varanasi... The matter will be heard tomorrow... The ASI has filed an application seeking three weeks to file their report... They will give their presentation before the court tomorrow..."

CAQM orders removal of GRAP Stage-III curbs in Delhi-NCR with immediate effect due to improvement in air quality

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami left from the site of Silkyara tunnel rescue.

A private bus travelling from Bengaluru to Kerala caught fire in the Gengalapuram area on the Dharmapuri-Salem National Highway in Dharmapuri District. The driver and conductor who were travelling on the bus jumped down and saved their lives.

Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (Retd.), Member, NDMA talked about the time required to complete the rescue operation and said "...According to me, it will take the entire night to complete this operation..."

All banks have been advised to appoint nodal officers on cyber issue. The secy added that Next meeting on cybersecurity will happen in mid January

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As the rescue operations enter final stage, sweets being distributed among the family members of Anil Bedia, one of the workers who is trapped in the Silkyara tunnel

Govt carried out mock drills across the country to prepare and avoid similar incidents after the train accident in Balasore, similar action will be taken for tunnel operations in the future as well says NDMA member Syed Ata Hasnain

Vishal Chauhan, Member, NHAI, said," NHAI has again started the work of audit of all tunnels. We are working on this with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and one other agency."

NDMA member Syed Ata Hasnain said that the government has learned a lot from the unfortunate disasters that have taken place in India this year. He added that 'We will come out with new SOPs for tunnel collapse rescue operations once the workers are rescued'.

So far the government has not made a decision on action to be taken on the contractor on why the Silkyara tunnel collapsed

Vishal Chauhan Member, NHAI, said that Rat miners are not illegal, NGT has prohibited rat miners in coal mining projects. He added that Rat miners are technical miners and their technical abilities have been used in other rescue operations as well

"Rescue operations encountered obstacles after 2 pm when reports started coming out that a breakthrough has been made in reaching the 41 workers. We expect to continue facing obstacles in the ongoing rescue operations as the rescue pipe is 8 metre off the ground," NDMA Member Syed Ata Hasnain said

We should not debate on whether a breakthrough has been made in the rescue operations or not, at the moment 2 metre of drilling is still left

Workers will be brought to Rishkesh incase of medical emergency says NDMA Member Syed Ata Hasnain

Vertical drilling is still ongoing at the Silkyara tunnel, incase the horizontal drilling faces further obstacles. The NDMA member also said that it is estimated that all 41 workers will take around 3-4 hours to come out of the Silkyara tunnel

Chinook helicopter present at Chinyalisaur airstrip to airlift the workers after their rescue from Silkyara tunnel.

Lieutenant General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, Member, NDMA, says "We are at 58 metres, we are hoping that after 2 metres, we can say that it has passed through. The trapped workers inside have said they can hear noises of work being done and an estimate can be made where the tunnel will pass through..."

Manual diggers are still working, two meters are still left for the Augur machine to drill. Workers can hear rescue officials through the debris

Akshet Katyaal, MD, Accurate Concrete Solutions says "...The pipe has been pushed inside very cautiously without any hurdle, a breakthrough has been achieved and the pipe has passed through. The work to rescue labourers has started. There are at least 3-4 phases in the rescue operation...Teams of NDRF have entered inside. The labourers will be taken out once the ramp is made..."

Medical staff arrives at Silkyara tunnel as rescue operation reaches its final phase.

Beds, chairs kept ready inside Silkyara Tunnel, Uttarkashi as 41 workers, trapped since last 16 days, are expected to come out anytime soon.

Mother of a worker who is trapped in the Silkyara tunnel says, "It has been 17 days since my son has been trapped. I will be happy when my son arrives I won't believe it until I see it with my own eyes..."

International tunneling expert Arnold Dix offered prayers at a temple outside Silkyara tunnel for safety of trapped workers earlier today.

Garlands have been brought to Silkyara tunnel rescue site in anticipation of early rescue of 41 trapped workers

Family members of the trapped workers who are expected to be rescued soon from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi say, "We are happy that they will be rescued soon. We will welcome them in a nice way. We had told them that the rescue team would reach them soon."

Pipe laying work completed, evacuation soon says CM Pushkar Singh Dhami

The rescue teams have reached a significant milestone by laying the final section of the exit pipe to reach the 41 men who have been trapped in a collapsed tunnel for 17 days. This progress is a vital step in the ongoing efforts to rescue the individuals, and the completion of the exit pipe is a key development in the operation to safely evacuate the trapped workers from the tunnel.

A separate ward comprising 41 oxygen-supported beds has been readied at the community health centre in Chinyalisaur, about 30 km from Silkyara, for the workers. The road outside the tunnel, which became uneven due to regular movement of heavy vehicles over the past fortnight was being repaired and a fresh layer of soil was being laid for smooth movement of ambulances.

Twelve rat-hole mining experts were involved in the horizontal excavation through the last 10 or 12-metre stretch of debris. They came from Delhi, Jhansi and other parts of the country. Meanwhile, workers from Jio assisted those who were carrying out vertical drilling with uninterrupted data and voice services at the location.

Officials said that the evacuation process, which includes individually pulling out the trapped workers on wheeled stretchers through a narrow pipe, is expected to take a couple of hours. Before the actual evacuation can start, rescue workers are in the process of pushing a pipe through the tunnel and clearing debris to create a pathway for them to crawl through and initiate the retrieval operation.

"Once he comes out, we will never allow him to work here again," a distraught Chaudhary said on November 26, waiting for the rescue of his son, who has been stuck inside the collapsed tunnel in Silkyara along with 40 others for two weeks. Having lost his another son in an accident in Mumbai earlier, the farm labourer from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh is now going through the terrible ordeal of waiting for the safe return of his second son. Read here

"It is a matter of happiness for us. I want to thank PM Modi, the Uttarakhand administration and those involved in the rescue operation on behalf of the UP government," says Arun Mishra, coordinator of UP government for rescue operation.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami arrives at the site of Silkyara tunnel rescue.He also tweeted, "...work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be rescued soon."

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami tweets, "...work of inserting the pipe inside the tunnel is complete. All the workers will be rescued soon."

Mahmood Ahmad, the MD of National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) says, "One more pipe has to be welded today. We will then take out the muck and push the pipe in. Welding takes 1-2 hours..."

Ambulances seen at the site of rescue. Army, SDRF and all other agencies at the site. As per the latest update, pipe has been inserted upto 55.3 metres.

Ambulances seen at the site of rescue. Army, SDRF and all other agencies at the site. As per the latest update, pipe has been inserted upto 55.3 metres.

Supreme Court says the next of kin of the bodies which have been identified and claimed may carry out last rites of bodies at any of the identified nine sites without interference from third parties. It says, regarding bodies identified but not claimed, state administration shall issue a communication to next of kin by next Monday and the state is permitted to carry the last rites of unidentified bodies with due observance of religious rites. Also asks the Collector and Superintendent of Police to take appropriate steps for the maintenance of law and order

Uttarakhand Secretary and Nodal Officer for Silkayara rescue operation Neeraj Khairwal says, "...As of now, we have pushed in the pipe 55.3 metres. Only a little more distance remains...It might be somewhere between 57-59 metres...It might take a few more hours if there are no more hurdles...By evening we are hoping...Let's pray and hope for the best."

Workers from Jio are assisting those who are carrying out vertical drilling. Jio’s data and voice services have been provided at this vertical location within 12 hours.

Micro tunnelling expert Chris Cooper says, "We are still mining...Everybody is very excited and energetic...Let us see what happens. We have stopped vertical drilling and the focus is on manual drilling..."

Micro tunnelling expert Chris Cooper says, "...We are still mining. We have got a couple of more metres to go...We are expecting to see some results by 5 pm. 2-3 metres are left..."

Vertical drilling on the hill has been stopped for the time being. Manual drilling is going on successfully inside the tunnel and to ensure that there is no hindrance in the drilling work below, vertical drilling has been stopped. Meanwhile, the process of changing machines in vertical drilling is being completed.

Supreme Court asks Solicitor General and Manipur's Advocate General to look into the grievances of Manipuri students affected by the violence in the state and seeking to be relocated to other Central universities. Plea to be heard next Monday, 4th December.

Rescue operation continues to evacuate the 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand.

- The Chief Minister mentioned that following the successful evacuation of stranded workers, all necessary arrangements have been finalised.
- He informed that the SDRF and NDRF teams have been stationed at the location, along with a medical team.
- All officers are on high alert round the clock, as stated by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

- The Chief Minister mentioned that following the successful evacuation of stranded workers, all necessary arrangements have been finalised.
- He informed that the SDRF and NDRF teams have been stationed at the location, along with a medical team.
- All officers are on high alert round the clock, as stated by the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

- Chief Minister Dhami mentioned that a consistent supply of high-quality food is being sent to the workers currently confined.
- Additionally, ongoing communication with medical professionals and psychologists is being maintained for all the workers.
- Regular discussions are being conducted with the families of those trapped inside.
- Dhami further highlighted the implementation of telephonic communication infrastructure by BSNL, in addition to the setup established by SDRF.

- The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in collaboration with the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is hosting a national workshop in New Delhi on November 29.
- The workshop, titled 'Leveraging Private Financing for Urban Infrastructure Development – Insights from G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG),' aims to bring together approximately 150 participants.
- Attendees will include elected representatives, mayors, officials from state urban departments and local bodies, representatives from financial institutions, multilateral development banks, the private sector, and urban sector experts.
- The workshop's primary objective is to act as a platform for disseminating the findings of the G20 Infrastructure Working Group (IWG) to diverse stakeholders.
- The discussions will primarily center on how Indian cities can utilize private financing to address their infrastructure deficiencies and enhance service delivery.

- "I just feel good. The drilling on top of the mountain is coming along perfectly, in the tunnel, it's coming along very well. I have never said 'I feel good' before. I might have heard they (trapped workers) are playing cricket," says international tunnelling expert Arnold Dix on the Silkyara Tunnel rescue.

- The Supreme Court has granted a stay on the National Green Tribunal's directive that required the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 12,000 crore as environmental compensation for the inadequate handling of solid and liquid waste.
- The Maharashtra government appealed to the Supreme Court, contesting the NGT's order issued in September 2022.

- The Supreme Court has rejected the bail plea of Tamil Nadu minister and DMK leader V Senthil Balaji, who is facing charges of money laundering by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), citing health reasons.
- The court determined that Balaji's health condition does not appear to be sufficiently critical to warrant bail, suggesting that he may pursue a regular bail application in the trial court instead.
- Following the SC's rejection, Balaji's legal representative withdrew the bail petition from the Supreme Court.

- Delhi's Environment Minister, Gopal Rai, has stated that a few days ago, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi had entered the 'Severe' category.
- Following light rain yesterday, there has been a noticeable improvement in pollution levels.
- Minister Rai anticipates continued fluctuations and urges residents of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to remain vigilant.

- Soldiers and skilled miners are employing a method known as "rat-hole" mining to clear the final stretch, excavating through approximately two meters (six feet) of debris, leaving an estimated seven meters (23 feet) to go.
- According to Rajput Rai, a drilling expert, teams of three individuals are taking turns working at the rock face within a metal pipe, just wide enough for one person to pass through.
- As one worker drills, another manually collects the rubble, and a third places it on a wheeled trolley for removal, Rai has been cited in a PTI report.
- To overcome obstacles caused by submerged metal rods, rescuers have introduced a superheated plasma cutter to facilitate progress.

- The family members of the 41 trapped workers have been advised to stay prepared, ensuring that the workers' clothing and belongings are readily available.
- Once rescued, the workers will be transported to the Chinyalisaur hospital.

- The Delhi Police apprehended two sharpshooters associated with the international terrorist and gangster Arshdeep Singh, also known as Dala, stated Delhi's Special Commissioner of Police, HGS Dhaliwal in an interaction with reporters.
- The arrested individuals are Rajpreet Singh, alias Raja, alias Bamb, and Virender Singh, alias Vimmy,Dhaliwal further noted.
- The capture took place on the main road leading to Akshardham Mandir in Mayur Vihar following a brief exchange of gunfire.
- These criminals had been assigned a mission by Arshdeep to eliminate the singer Elly Mangat.
- In October 2023, they attempted to carry out the assassination in Bathinda but were unsuccessful as the target was not present at home.

- In the course of the confrontation, the accused discharged a total of five rounds, with two of them striking the police officer's bulletproof jacket.
- The police team retaliated by firing six rounds at the accused.
- The Police recovered a .45 mm revolver containing six live cartridges, a .30 mm pistol with seven live cartridges, a hand grenade, and a stolen motorcycle from the possession of the accused individuals.

- Supporters of Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh, also known as Dala, including Rajpreet Singh (alias Raja or Bamb), Sachin Bhati, Arpit, and Sunil Pradhan, have been placed in police custody for four days.
- Virender Singh, alias Vimmy, who sustained injuries during the encounter, has been remanded to judicial custody for two days, according to the Delhi Police Special Cell.

- Vertical drilling for the 1.2 meters diameter pipe has been accomplished, covering a distance of 43 meters from the hill's summit.
- The remaining tasks may require an additional 40-50 hours to finish.
- In addition, 78 meters of vertical drilling for the 8 mm diameter pipe has been successfully completed from the hilltop.
- However, further drilling has been temporarily paused due to a minor issue in the pipeline.
- Manual drilling is currently progressing smoothly within the tunnel.

- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) initiated a campaign today targeting businesses, hotels, and other establishments in Mumbai lacking Marathi signboards in Devanagari script.
- The BMC has issued directives through a press release, forming a dedicated team to enforce compliance and take action against establishments not adhering to the guidelines.

- CM Pushkar Singh Dhami, monitoring rescue operations at the site, said, "Engineers, experts, and all others are exerting their utmost efforts. Currently, the pipe has advanced 52 meters. The ongoing progress instills confidence that a breakthrough is imminent. Once the pipe successfully penetrates, the process of evacuating the workers will commence. All individuals are in good condition..."

- Qatar said the newly released hostages, all dual citizens, included three with French nationality, two with German nationality and six Argentine citizens.
- Hamas said earlier it had received a list of 33 Palestinians to be released from Israeli jails in return. It said these included three female prisoners and 30 minors.
- With the latest releases, Hamas has freed a total of 69 people since Friday, including both Israelis and non-Israelis.
- Under the terms of existing four-day truce agreement, Hamas was due to release in total 50 Israeli women and children held hostage in Gaza. There was no limit in the deal on the number of foreigners it could release.

- On Tuesday, a 6.5-magnitude earthquake occurred in the northern region of Papua New Guinea, as reported by the US Geological Survey.
- The earthquake, detected at a depth of around 12 kilometers (seven miles) at 8:46 am local time (2146 GMT on Monday), did not pose a tsunami threat, according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in a separate announcement.