Rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi, where 41 workers have been trapped for 13 days, encountered another setback on Friday. The drilling machine, which had briefly resumed operations after a technical glitch caused a temporary halt, encountered an obstacle, possibly a metal object, forcing it to stop again. The authorities have now decided to shift to vertical drilling as part of Plan B to expedite the rescue.

For the past week, machines designated for vertical drilling have been stationed near the tunnel. These machines are now being mobilized and will be transported to the hilltop for drilling into the mountains up to 86 meters. The ONGC drilling team has assessed the site and estimates that vertical drilling will take around a week to penetrate the rocks. In addition, efforts will continue on horizontal drilling to cover the remaining 10-12 meters.

The rescue effort began on November 12 after a section of the under-construction tunnel collapsed, trapping the workers inside. While the drilling machine faced technical difficulties, the rescue workers have been diligently working to extract broken machine parts lodged inside the pipes. Only two of the six entangled augers have been successfully removed thus far. The authorities are now hopeful that vertical drilling and the use of a plasma cutting machine to remove the broken iron will help expedite the rescue efforts.

This rescue operation has seen its fair share of challenges, but the authorities remain committed to ensuring the safe extraction of the trapped workers.

Source: The Times of India, November 24, 2023