New Delhi [India], November 25 (ANI): National Disaster Management Authority Member, Lt General (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain on Saturday stated that there was no motion within the final 24 hours within the drilling work to rescue the 41 employees trapped within the Uttarkashi tunnel for 13 days.
The NDMA member stated {that a} portion of the American-Auger machine was damaged, blocking the potential escape route.
“The current update is that (in) the last 24 hours, there hasn’t been any movement within this bore tunnel that was being made for the rescue. Because…the Auger machine itself has had a bit of an accident. A portion of it (has actually) broken, and that broken portion has to be pulled out (of the escape pipe),” Hasnain instructed ANI.
He stated that the tunnel is blocked in the mean time, and work is occurring to chop the damaged portion and convey it out.
“For that, special machines and cutters have been flown in from different parts of the country by the Indian Air Force, and work on that aspect is about to begin sometime today, hopefully. As a result, there is no access being made through this particular route at the moment. But the good news is that the 41 workers are all safe and sound,” he added.
After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the particles falling within the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara aspect of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers contained in the under-construction construction.
The NDMA member stated that the trapped labourers are prepared for the ‘lengthy haul’ contained in the 2-km-built portion of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel.
“They are speaking to their relatives. The logistics are in place. The 6-inch and 4-inch pipes are all intact, the power line is intact, and the water is going inside. More relatives have arrived there. So as far as the psychological aspect is concerned and the physiological well-being (of the trapped men) is concerned, they are ready for the long haul,” Hasnain stated.
Earlier within the day, worldwide tunnel knowledgeable Arnold Dix, who’s aiding within the rescue course of, stated that the Auger machine utilized in horizontal drilling is ‘completed’ and that there can be additional use of the Auger machine.
Reacting to it, the NDMA member stated that after the setback to the Auger machine, the drilling work, which was earlier performed by way of the diesel-driven 1,750-horse energy machine, can be performed manually now.
“We were achieving a 4-5 per metre speed earlier (with Auger). This will be reduced quite drastically,” he stated.
Notably, 5 choices have been determined to evacuate the trapped males, and 5 totally different companies have been detailed to hold out these choices.
As a part of this, the Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL) is implementing vertical drilling to rescue the trapped labourers.
On the replace on vertical drilling, the NDMA member stated, “The machine which was to come and be taken to the top of the tunnel for the top-down drilling has reached and is being emplaced on the plinth created.””We can not say when but (in) very near future, perhaps in the next 48 hours, the vertical drilling could commence,” he added.
Earlier within the day, addressing a press briefing within the nationwide capital, Hasnain stated that the rescue operation at Uttarkashi’s Silkyara tunnel has develop into technically advanced including that rescuers are working in an surroundings of unpredictability.
“You are seeing that this operation is getting technically complex. Earlier there were not many complexities and that is why some people in media were assuming timelines but we never gave timelines from our side. We are conducting rescue operations on hills. We are working in an environment of unpredictability,” he had instructed the presser. (ANI)