Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Rat miners came close to the workers, there was a stir outside the tunnel
Uttarkashi. Efforts are continuing to rescue the laborers trapped in the tunnel in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand. Rescue teams are doing rat hole mining and vertical drilling from above the tunnel. It is hoped that the workers can be evacuated soon. Rescue teams have asked the relatives of the workers to keep their clothes and bags ready. After evacuating the workers, they will be taken to the hospital.
Vertical drilling 40 meters and manual drilling five meters.
As of this morning, vertical drilling has been done up to 40 meters above the tunnel. At the same time, manual drilling inside the tunnel has also been completed up to five meters. 46 meters more vertical drilling is left. Seven more meters of manual drilling remains to be done. After completion of excavation, 800 mm diameter pipe will be inserted in it. Only through this will the workers come out. If there are no obstacles, the rescue operation can be completed today.
Increased movement outside the tunnel
As the team is getting closer to the workers, the commotion outside the tunnel has also increased. Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, retired General VK Singh has also reached Silkyara. He has gone inside the tunnel to take stock of the manual drilling. The families of the 41 stranded laborers have been asked to be prepared and keep the clothes and bags of the laborers ready. The workers will be rescued and taken to Chinyalisaur hospital.
CM Dhami worshiped at Boukhnag temple
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took stock of the Silkyara Tunnel Rescue Operation on Tuesday. He offered prayers at the temple of Baba Boukhnag located at the entrance of the tunnel and prayed for the safe exit of all the workers.
CM Dhami said that the escape passage has been prepared up to 52 meters inside the tunnel. The escape passage will be crossed at 57 metres. Now the number of metal pieces has reduced. Therefore, the rescue operation is expected to be completed soon.
What is rat hole mining?
– The remaining horizontal excavation in Silkyara Tunnel is being done by manual method. In this, persons having special skills in tunneling have been selected. These are called rat-hole miners. Rat-hole mining is done in extremely narrow tunnels. Miners descend hundreds of feet in horizontal tunnels to extract coal. It is especially used to extract coal in challenging areas, especially in Meghalaya.
– In 2014, the National Green Tribunal had banned it keeping in mind the safety of the workers. Despite the ban imposed by the NGT, illegal rat-hole mining continues.
Uttarkashi Tunnel Rescue: Tunnel Rescue Operation Update
– Neeraj Khairwal, nodal officer of Uttarakhand government, clarified that the people brought to the rescue site are not rat miners but people who are experts in this technique.
Workers are stranded since November 12
Located at a distance of about 30 kilometers from Uttarkashi district headquarters, Silkyara Tunnel is part of the Central Government’s ambitious Chardham ‘All Weather Road’ project. This tunnel being built on Brahmakhal-Yamunotri National Highway is 4.5 kilometers long. On 12 November, a portion of the tunnel collapsed. Due to this the workers got trapped inside the tunnel. The rescue operation to free them has been going on for 16 days. But no significant success has been achieved so far.
