Uttarakhand tunnel rescue | Things are under control, says NDMA

The rescuers have completed 36 metres of vertical boring.

"After taking out the part of Auger that was stranded, the 1.9 metres that was cut, in that, the first 220 mm was pushed, and it got pushed... There was concern that it may not be pushed, but now we won't have to go on alternate... A time limit cannot be said, but let's hope and pray that minimum obstacles occur and we will be able to do this quickly..." said, Neeraj Khairwal, Secretary, Uttarakhand Government, as quoted by ANI.

Mahmood Ahmad, MD, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corp. Ltd., in a statement to the press said that "The work of vertical boring is also going on... Nearly 36 meters have been done... We have to do it nearly 50 meters more... We will take all actions, and we hope that we move forward quickly..."

Taking to X, the Adani Group has clarified that it has no involvement in Uttarkashi tunnel construction. In a statement, the group said that it condemns the "nefarious attempts" to link it to the "unfortunate collapse of a tunnel in Uttarakhand." 

Lieutenant General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, who is a member of National Disaster Management Authority, has said that even if it rains, the rescue operation will continue.

"Using the auger machine is not an option again as the auger was continuously getting stuck and the process of extracting it out was taking a lot of time. The process that is being used today is a little slow but reliable... As per the meteorological dept, a yellow alert is there from IMD which means light rains can occur but there is no possibility that our operatoin will be hindered because of this..." he told ANI.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is travelling towards the Silkyara tunnel site in order to take stock of the situation and observe the relief and rescue work which has been going on for last 16 days.

India's National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has said that things are under control.

"...Things are under control... Food and medicine are going inside as per requirements... Psychological aspects are also given importance...Backup communications have been established...," said Lieutenant General (Retd.) Syed Ata Hasnain, member of NDMA.

Lieutenant General (Retd.) Hasnain was speaking in a press conference.

Vishal Chauhan, member of National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) was present as well.

"...Manual drilling is about to start... There will be a team of six members who will work in groups of three... There are sensors to monitor movement inside the earth..." he said.

Principal Secretary PK Mishra from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) visited the tunnel earlier in the day. He has directed authorities to monitor health of the workers who are stuck inside.

"...Today, Principal Secretary PK Mishra from PMO paid a visit... He said safety and security are important... He said that care should be taken of people stranded inside... Their health should be monitored..." said Neeraj Khairwal, Secretary (Uttarakhand) as he spoke abourt principal secretary's visit.

"We're making progress. I'm feeling very proud of the team with the progress we are making...It has not yet started (manual drilling). It will be started as soon as it's safe," International Tunneling Expert, Arnold Dix told ANI, in an interview on Monday. 

Principal Secretary to the PM Pramod Kumar Mishra, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and Uttarakhand Chief Secy SS Sandhu earlier went inside the tunnel to take stock of the rescue operations. They have come out now.

Watch:

Principal Secretary to PM Modi Pramod Kumar Mishra and Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Sukhbir Singh Sandhu arrive at Syalna to visit the site of collapse on Monday.

As vertical drilling continues on second day, about 31 metres of distance was covered of the 86 metres of digging required to reach the trapped workers.

Meanwhile, labourers arrived on the site on Monday to carry out manual drilling after broken auger machine was completely removed from the pipe.

Skilled labourers will do the manual drilling by plasma cutters or conventional way.

Weather in Uttarakhand is expected to turn rainy on Monday, which could create further complications in the ongoing rescue operations. However, officials on the ground say they are prepared to deal with it.

Bad weather was approaching with thunderstorms, hail and lower temperatures expected in the mountains but rescue organisers said they would handle it. "They are trained in working in every situation so that's not a worry for us," said Mahmood Ahmad, managing director of the NHIDCL company, which is building the tunnel and helping with the rescue, referring to rescue teams.

As the rescue ops continue, officials are ensuring food and water supplies to the trapped workers are kept steady. The essentials are being delivered through 6-inch supply pipe.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami says, "Everyone has been trying. The auger machine has been taken out completely...Drilling & pushing work will start & we hope that the work is completed at the earliest...PM Modi is seeking all important information...NDRF, STRF, Indian Air Force & Indian Army everyone is cooperating & contributing..."

During the rescue operation in Silkyara Tunnel, the stuck blade of the auger machine has been completely removed from the pipe. After this the manual drilling work will start.

Mahmood Ahmad, Managing Director, National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, while talking to the media said vertical drilling might take three to four days to complete. 

"Around 19.2 meters of vertical drilling has been done. We have to drill around 86 meters which is likely to be done within four days (November 30). The pace of work is good. We haven't come across any obstacles so far, and hope that we face no further obstacles and the work gets completed as early as possible," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

Officials at the rescue site told media that parts of the broken auger machine, that was earlier used for horizontal drilling, were almost retrieved, with just 8.15 metres remaining. "The speed of work is good and we are heading towards a positive side," Uttarakhand government secretary Neeraj Khairwal was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

Rescuers spent Sunday cutting through the blade of the drill and removing it piece by piece. A plasma cutter was brought in on Sunday from Hyderabad to cut and remove the drill blade. Meanwhile, vertical drilling also began Sunday afternoon. However, Lieutenant General Syed Ata Hasnain (retd), member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), said that going horizontally through the collapsed debris in the tunnel was still the best option.