Steel structure obstructing free movement of pipe removed: Ex-PMO advisor on Uttarkashi tunnel rescue

UTTARKASHI: Former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, Bhaskar Khulbe, who reached the Silkyara tunnel collapse site said on Thursday that the entire steel structure obstructing the free movement of the pipe inside has now been removed as part of the rescue operation of the 41 workers.

The workers have been trapped for 12 days after a portion of the under-construction tunnel collapsed on November 12.

Khulbe reached the site earlier in the morning and inspected the progress of the rescue operation.

Later, while speaking to the reporters here, he said that the efforts are being made to move 6 meters ahead of the 45-metre mark that has already been reached.

"I am happy to tell you the entire steel that was obstructing the free movement of the pipe inside has now been removed. We are trying to move 6 meters ahead of the 45-metre mark that we have already reached. During drilling last night, an iron metal had come in, due to which the work was stopped. We hope that there will be no more obstructions in our way ahead", he said.

According to rescue teams, the operation involved drilling through the debris to push wide pipes for the trapped workers to walk out through. The auger machine, which drills through about 3 meters of debris in an hour, had earlier hit a metal obstruction.

A collapse occurred on November 12 in an under-construction tunnel from Silkyara to Barkot due to debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel, due to which 41 workers were trapped.

The labourers are trapped in a 2km-built portion, which is complete including concrete work that provides safety to the workers.

Meanwhile, welding experts from Delhi have reached the Silkyara tunnel as part of the rescue operation to pull out 41 trapped workers.

Radhe Raman Dubey, a welder said he was brought to the site to weld the mild steel wire of the pipes that are being inserted into the debris.

According to the rescue plan, the trapped men will be pulled out through the 900 mm pipes which will be pushed inside the debris till a distance of around 60 metres so that the workers can crawl through them and come out safely.

"We are here to weld MS pipe inside the tunnel. Five welders have come here for the same...We'll do it with the help of welding machines," he said.

Mild steel welding wire is a type of welding wire made from low-alloy, high-strength steel.

Mild steel welding wire is used for thin metal sheets, such as roofing and siding. It is also used for light industrial applications, like joining pieces of metal pipe.

According to the State government official, the rescue operation is at the final stage as the trapped workers are likely to be pulled out today.

"The preparations to rescue workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel are in the final stages and CM Pushkar Singh Dhami himself is present in Uttarkashi," Uttarakhand CMO said.