Day 3: Parallel shaft’s digging on to save 2-yr-old Fatehveer

Parvesh Sharma
Tribune News Service
Sangrur, June 8

A joint operation to rescue two-year-old Fatehveer Singh, who fell into a 150-foot-deep borewell over two days ago on Sunam-Sheron road in Bhagwanpur, continued today as the National Disaster Response Force, Army personnel from Patiala and local administration raced against time to dig a parallel 36-inch diameter shaft to reach him.

Hoping to see Fatehveer alive, father Sukhminder Singh and other family members have refused to leave the site. Hundreds of residents performed ‘ardas’ on the site today as locals launched a campaign on the social media to pray for Fatehveer’s safety.

“The Punjab Government is taking all steps to rescue him and will pay for his treatment,” said Cabinet Minister Vijay Inder Singla after meeting the family members.

Last night, the authorities tried using a specialised machine arranged from a local factory for digging, but had to switch back to manual digging as it didn’t work.

Some movement was noticed at 5 am on Friday as also on Thursday night. “To reach the child through a parallel 36-inch shaft, we need to install 13 pipes. Ten have been put in place. The child is stuck at around 125 feet,” said DC Ghanshyam Thori.

The NDRF would install pipes up to 127-128 feet and then try to retrieve the child after cutting through the borewell from the bottom. 

Hundreds of residents were on site assisting in the operation. Followers of Sirsa’s Dera Sacha Sauda too were helping the administration.