Pushpa Devi, 35, from Maneri village in Bhatwari block of Uttarkashi, travelled 65 km every day on a bus to work at Silkyara, where 41 workers were rescued after a 17-day rescue operation. Over the past fortnight, she laboured from dawn to dusk, to build a 1.2-km road to facilitate transportation of heavy machinery to the rescue site.
Ms. Pushpa was among the scores of contractual workers hired by the Border Road Organisation (BRO), who had toiled tirelessly and away from the limelight, for the success of the operation.
“I used to leave home at 6 a.m. and go back at 8 p.m. I had to temporarily leave my six children at my sister’s home so that I could totally focus on constructing roads for the rescue mission,” said Ms. Pushpa who received ₹15,000 for her efforts. She will use the money to pay the school fees of her children and buy them winter uniforms, apart from essentials for her home.
