NEW DELHI/DEHRADUN: Rescuers have drilled more than a hallway through the debris, behind which 41 workers have been waiting to be pulled out for 11 days now. officials racing to save them, and “big news” is expected by 11.30 pm, officials said Wednesday, after the American-made drill bored another six meters into the hillside.”
In an update today, officials said 42 meters of drilling has been done in the 70-metre debris which had to be broken through to reach the workers.  CM Pushkar Dhami will arrive in Uttarkashi on Wednesday to take stock of rescue operation. According to  official if all goes well, good news can be expected by tomorrow.
The incident took place on the morning of 12 November in the northern state’s Uttarkashi district. The construction workers have been trapped 260 meters inside the Silkyara-Barkot under-construction tunnel since Sunday (November 12), when a part of the tunnel collapsed following a landslide around 5.30 am, The Silkyara tunnel is part of the Narendra Modi government’s Char Dham all-weather accessibility project.
Contact with the trapped men was established soon after that and they are being provided oxygen, food and water since then. On Monday evening, the rescue operation witnessed a breakthrough after rescuers were able to push a six-inch diameter pipe through the debris inside the tunnel. Officials slipped a small camera attached to a flexible cable into the pipe and used it to film the trapped men.
I am happy to announce we have been able to move forward by another six meters. It is expected that in the next two hours, when we prepare for the next phase, we will be able to (finish) remaining work,” Bhaskar Khulbe, the Special Officer deputed to the Uttarakhand Tourism Department, told reporters. Mr Khulbe said about 67 per cent of drilling had been completed.
Uttarakhand official said the most time-consuming process – in a rescue attempt that is now in its 11th day – is the welding of pipes to be pushed into the drilled holes to provide workers’ an escape route.”Welding is most important… this takes time. It does not take much time to drill… due to this it has taken almost 15 hours, from late night, to send 18 meters of pipes, i.e., three sections,” he added.
Daksh Brothers, Rovers Joining Op To Rescue Trapped Workers “An additional 800mm pipe has also been pushed 21 metres inside the tunnel.””If there are no obstacles, some big news may be received tonight or tomorrow morning. An iron rod has also come with the debris. We are happy this (rod) did not create any problems for us…””
This is very happy news for us, that we are moving forward at a fast pace,” he added.  The official also issued a word of warning – that the remaining section is the most critical. Rescue efforts have been slow, complicated by falling debris as well as repeated breakdowns of heavy-drilling machines.
(Bureau Report with Agencies inputs).

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