Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: The government claims it'might reach stranded workers in two and a half days if...'

 

Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: A rescue operation for 41 stranded workers was halted on Sunday, November 19, while authorities focused on planning for the next step, which included using different methods to reach the men who had been trapped for many days. Here are the most recent developments in this story: 

1) According to a story published by the news agency PTI, officials stated a road to the top of the hill was created in a single day for excavating a vertical shaft down into the tunnel.

2) The Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation planned to start "micro tunnelling" Sunday night from the Barkot end of the Char Dham route's under-construction tunnel, a portion of which collapsed on November 12.

3) The American-made heavy-duty auger equipment faced a hard impediment after roughly 22 metres of boring into the wreckage of the collapsed 60-meter section from the Silkyara end, according to PTI. 

4) In addition, the Rail Vikas Nigam Limited has commenced work on a vertical pipeline to provide critical products when the approach road to the top of the hill is completed.

5) The multi-pronged effort is the result of a series of setbacks, including a part of the Silkyara-Barkot tunnel collapsing the previous Sunday morning, barring the route out for workers finishing the night shift.

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6) On Sundays, Road, Transport, and Highways Secretary Anurag Jain stated that the government has launched a five-pronged action plan to rescue the 41 workers who have been stranded at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi since November 12. 

7) Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari visited the collapsed tunnel site on Sunday and stated that digging horizontally through the rubble with a massive auger machine looked to be the best option. In two and a half days, he expected a breakthrough.

8) "The most important priority is to save the trapped workers and evacuate them as soon as possible." "Preparations are being made to restart the auger machine and resume tunnel drilling and pipe-laying," Gadkari added.

9) "Though I am no technical expert, horizontal digging appears to be the best option in the given circumstances." "If there are no obstacles, the auger machine could reach the trapped workers in two and a half days," he added.

10) In case a replacement was required, a comparable machine was dispatched from Indore. The vertical drilling equipment arriving next is too large to be transported by plane and will be transported to the site by road, according to officials.