Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari arrived at the Uttarkashi tunnel site on November 19, where 41 workers have been trapped behind a pile of rubble near the south entrance for over a week. “A technical solution has been arrived at for the auger machine,” Mr. Gadkari told reporters, referring to the machinery used to drill through the rubble and insert a wide pipe out of which workers can crawl.
Anurag Jain, the Road Transport and Highways Secretary, said that this solution was to create a ‘canopy’ to secure the structure of the entrance, so that the drill does not disturb the tunnel’s structural integrity. The auger machine is the third such apparatus on site since rescue efforts started. Asked if it was working, Mr. Gadkari said it had, but it was unclear if drilling on this front had resumed. The machine had stopped drilling on Friday afternoon after the drill encountered hard material and led to “vibrations” that worried engineers that further rubble could fall.
In total, five different approaches to the workers are being explored simultaneously, on top of the auger machine at the southern entrance. The auger machine has so far only drilled 22 metres into the rubble. Authorities have placed different public sector bodies in charge of other approaches, such as on the other side of the tunnel and at a spot above the mountain. The PSUs involved so far include ONGC Ltd., Rail Vikas Nigam Ltd., and the Border Roads Organisation.
Heavy machinery and concrete blocks were being trucked into the site throughout the day. Mr. Gadkari said that aerial surveys were being explored by the Survey of India, and that robotic systems may be sent inside the tunnel, though he did not provide details of these proposals. 60Sixty metres of rubble stand between the trapped workers and the rescuers.
Rescue workers’ plans for vertical drilling include a six-inch wide opening to provide workers more advanced supplies, and a wider opening worked on by ONGC, which will serve as an alternate escape route for the workers. A four-inch pipe is already being used to give those trapped water, food, vitamin supplements, medicine, and antidepressants, Mr. Jain said. A second such pipe is being built, Mr. Gadkari said.
“I would like to say clearly to … workers and their families: don’t be anxious,” Mr. Jain said. “This may take time, but the work will definitely happen.” Mr. Gadkari, pressed on a timeline, said, “If the auger machine continues drilling … with God’s blessings we should be able to complete the rescue in two and a half days.”
