Barshaini, (Kullu) August 9
Like heroes 20 workers trapped inside the Parbati hydel project tunnel mounted the blower pipe, an oxygen supply line and hammered their way through the narrow blower pipe filled with silt and debris. Ramesh Kumar was the first one to come out from the tunnel at abut 10.30 am today, sending an applause all round. The deluge marred site now looked like a burial ground of broken trucks and defunct machineries.
Ramesh was clearing his way out when JCB operators saw the mud moving at the edge of the adit. One by one all 20 workers, who fought death in the tunnel for 35 hours after the surging Jhigrai nullah pumped in debris and muck on
Saturday night, came out. Their grit baffled the combined NHPC, ITBP, Police and home guards rescue team, which had almost given hope up of their survival.
“We got a hint around 12.40 am on yesterday when the electricity went off as generator did not work. All of us gathered at the junction of adit and main tunnel and encouraged each other to struggle for survival says Ramesh Kumar, who hails from Tatput district in Orissa. The leaking water tunnel supplied oxygen”.
“Then we used a piece of log pumped in by the flood water to enter the blower pipe that has trapped oxygen inside, said
Dhirnath, a labourer from Orissa who was the second to come out from the death trap. “But the silt did not allow us to make much headway for the whole of Sunday”.
But this did not dampen their spirits. “We crawled on the upper side of the debris that has settled a bit, cleared silt by a stick and cut the debris by a hammer one by one for more than 12 hours for 30 metres”, added Ashok Kumar, another survivor.
The survived not because of the rescue operation, but because of their steel will to live, almost hammering their way out from the blow struck by the Jhigrai nallah, that now flows like ‘’a tame stream’’ in three villages of Kukga and Tulaga and Pulga.
All 20 labourers were admitted to Jari Primary Health
Centre (PHC) all are in good health. “None of 20 labourers have shown signs of asphyxia”, said Dr R Vaidya, a medical officer, PHC, Jari.
The ADM, Kullu, Mr Hans Raj, said the administration had given blankets to them and all displaced labourers had been given shelter in the gurdwara at Manikaran.
The General
Manager (Commercial) Patel Engineering, contractor with the NHPC for the 800 MW Parbati stage II of hydro project, Mr B.R. Sharma, who was at the hospital said the company would give Rs 20,000 as a relief to the 20 labourers while other displaced will be given free board and lodging at a safe place”.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. The report would be submitted within a week.
