Uttarkashi: Technical snags, steel girders create hurdles in tunnel rescue operation

Tribune News Service

Neeraj Mohan

Silkyara (Uttarkashi), November 24

Technical snags, steel girders and concrete rubble are among the major challenges being faced by technical experts working restlessly to rescue the 41 workers trapped inside the tunnel since Diwali.

The drilling through the rubble to insert pipes to make way for the workers was halted as the US-made auger machine faced a technical glitch, which also caused cracks in the foundation of the 25-tonne machine.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced that the drilling work was halted late at night on November 23 as the auger machine hit a technical snag. Former adviser to Prime Minister’s Office Bhaskar Khulbe had earlier said there was a strong possibility to resume the rescue operations by Friday afternoon, but the drilling could not be resumed even by late evening.

Dhami, along with Union Minister Gen VK Singh (retd) also visited the spot and took stock of the rescue operation. According to rescuers, no major progress was made on Friday. The workers spent most of the time in repairing the foundation and the machine. They could not go beyond 46.8 metres and are still around 10-12 metres away from the workers.

The drilling was halted as a metallic object (lattice girder rib) was encountered in front of the pipe. The metallic object has been cut, but later engineers noticed minor vibrations and the auger machine was pushed slightly back to re-assess the force to be applied.

With the help of a ground penetration radar, the engineers established that there was no steel hurdle till the next five metres. A member of the National Disaster Management Authority, Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, said the operation was very challenging , but the rescuers were working on a war footing.

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