In a first major breakthrough in nine days, agencies working round the clock to rescue the 41 workers trapped in an under-construction tunnel at Silkyara in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand have managed to install a six-inch pipe into the 53-metre-long debris on Monday. The pipe will help in supplying nutritious food to the trapped workers and in having better communication with them.
Briefing the media, Anshu Mansish Khalkho, Director of the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), the agency heading the tunnel construction as part of the all-weather road project, said that till now only a four-inch pipeline remained the lifeline for the trapped workers as they were being provided with raw food through that.
“After a six-inch pipeline has been laid across the debris, we have a second lifeline. It will be convenient to send large-sized materials, food items, medicines and other essential equipment as well as communication equipment to the workers. This will boost their confidence,” Mr. Khalkho said.
