Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Govt to provide accommodation, food to kin of trapped workers

The Chief Minister has directed that updates on relief and rescue efforts be provided, as well as ongoing coordination with the workers' families.

The Uttarakhand government will provide food, shelter, and medical care to the families of the 41 workers trapped in the collapsed Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said at a review meeting on November 18.

Rescue work was halted on November 17 after the new "high-performance" drilling machine broke down after reaching a depth of 22 meters. As many as forty-one workers have been trapped in the collapsed tunnel being built on Uttarkashi-Yamnotri road since early November 12, with their anxious families waiting for them to be pulled out to safety.

Read more: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue operations may take 2-3 more days, says Union minister

"Chief Minister Dhami said that the state government will provide accommodation, food, and health facilities to the workers' families," the chief minister's office (CMO) said in a statement.

He has asked the Garhwal commissioner to make all necessary arrangements for the workers' families in Chinyalisour and the neighbouring areas.

Officials have also been told to keep the families informed about the relief and rescue effort.

"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 CMO said.

Also read: MC explains: Uttarakhand tunnel collapse and what is being done to rescue 40 workers

Late on November 17, the administration said that 41 and not 40 workers were stranded in the collapsed tunnel.