This Gabbar Singh kept hopes afloat in trapped workers inside Uttarakhand tunnel

Gabbar’s efforts emerged as a crucial factor in supporting workers’ mental well-being amid the testing circumstances.

It was a different Gabbar Singh inside the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand. This Gabbar Singh kept the spirit high among people teetering on the edge for days.

While speaking to the 41 workers rescued from the collapsed tunnel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the efforts of Gabbar Singh Negi and thanked him for his temperament through the long rescue operations. Negi was trapped in the tunnel with 40 more for over 400 hours nearly 200 feet underground.

The resident of Pauri Garhwal district is a tunnel foreman and was working in the Silkyara tunnel on November 12 when it collapsed. He was praised for encouraging his colleagues and helping them stay calm by practicing yoga and meditation. It emerged as a crucial factor in supporting their mental wellbeing amid the trying times. "I am senior-most... I will be the last to come out...', this is what he told me," a relieved Jaymal Singh Negi, his brother, told NDTV.

Also read:  India heaves sigh of relief

Several of the rescued workers the channel spoke to highlighted Negi's role in keeping them safe and happy. He also encouraged them by playing games such as ludo and chess. One of the psychiatrists at the site, Rohit Gondwal, told news agency PTI that the trapped workers had also played “chor police”.

A worker from Bihar, Saba Ahmed, told the PM that though they were stuck in the tunnel for days, they were not afraid. “We were like brothers, we were together. We used to take a stroll in the tunnel after dinner,” Ahmed said. According to him, the workers used to take morning walks in an over 2 km stretch of the tunnel where they were confined.

The rescued workers are under medical supervision as a precautionary measure and will be returning to their families soon.

The workers thanked Prime Minister Modi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the rescue teams for their efforts. One of the rescued workers said they had nothing to worry as when the government could save Indians abroad, they were within the country.

Rescue workers on November 28 pulled out all 41 workers in a multi-agency operation. Instead of being brought out on wheeled stretchers through a steel tube that lined the 60-metre rescue shaft, the labourers crawled out of it, according to Chief Minister Dhami. "There are several such projects underway in the state. We have decided to have them reviewed. We need development but there should be a balance between ecology and economy," he said.