NIDM will prepare a complete chapter on what precautions we should take in tunnel construction in future and how to remove the shortcomings.
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) Executive Director Rajendra Ratanu said that the Silkyara tunnel accident will become a case study for the entire country. NIDM will prepare a complete chapter on what precautions we should take in tunnel construction in future and how to remove the shortcomings. Rajendra Ratanu, who came to participate in the Sixth Global Disaster Management Conference, said that wherever tunnels will be constructed in the country, our effort will be to move ahead by discussing the already prepared module with the agencies and departments involved in the construction.
Ratanu said that this study will prove important in the construction of roads and tunnels in the Himalayan region. He said that the entire geography of all the Himalayan states is different from other states. Therefore, a suggestion had come from the Himalayan states that such a national institute should be opened in Uttarakhand, in which research, training and other important work related to disaster management could be done. This proposal is pending with the Central Government since the year 2022. Today the Chief Minister has said that this proposal will be taken forward.
Dr. RJ Azmi, retired geologist of Wadia Institute of Geology, said that to avoid incidents like Silkyara from happening in future, all geological, geological surveys should be completed before starting work on the project. So that a complete account of the existing rocks already exists. It should be known in advance where the weak rock is. He said that the complete plan of any project should be in the public domain.
In the operation to safely rescue 41 laborers trapped in the tunnel under construction in Silkyara, Uttarkashi, the American auger machine also gasped in front of the obstacles that came up within a few hours. In such a situation, the team of Rat Miners showed its magic.
Ultimately, human claws overpowered the auger machine and on their strength Operation Silkyara came to fruition on the 17th day. The teams engaged in the rescue operation for 17 days had started working on all options to save the lives of the workers. Minor tunnel digging from Barkot, vertical, but where the auger machine was stuck,
That option was the closest way to reach the workers. The stuck pieces of the garter were taken out one by one from the auger machine. Also, on the advice of experts, it was decided to take the help of rat miners from Jhansi, who have expertise in manual digging inside the tunnel. As the team of Rat Miners reached Ground Zero from Jhansi and moved ahead, a glow started appearing on the faces of the members of the expedition. Ultimately, where the machine had lost, human claws succeeded.
When we reached the people trapped in the tunnel, they jumped with joy after seeing us. He hugged us. These were emotional moments for us. Rat Miners‘ team members told this to Amar Ujala after opening the way for the safe exit of the workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara Tunnel. They were giving the message of success of the operation by giving the thumbs up sign.
The glow of the success of the campaign was clearly visible on their faces. When the American auger machine failed during the rescue operation, a team of rat miners was called from Jhansi and deployed on the front. Working continuously for hours day and night, 12 team members opened the way to reach the workers who had been waiting inside the tunnel for the last 17 days to get out safely. Team member Firoz Qureshi told Amar Ujala that they continued digging for 26 hours.
We went to the workers. They were happy to see us. We hugged each other. Now everyone is safe. PMO played a big role in the campaign to save the lives of workers. Not only did the Prime Minister keep a constant watch, the messengers of his office also kept the campaign going by camping there continuously.
As soon as the information about the accident reached the Prime Minister’s Office through the control room of the Home Ministry, Dr. PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the PM, informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about this. Since then, PMO officials continuously monitored the incident. Mishra regularly informed the PM about the rescue operation.
Dr. Mishra directed PMO Deputy Secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal to go to the incident site and get information about the situation. Former advisor to the Prime Minister Bhaskar Khulbe was also requested to monitor the rescue operation at the site.
On the insistence of PMO, apart from mobilizing civil engineering and tunneling related equipment and experts from RVNL, ONGC, SJVNL, THDC, DRDO etc., innovative technology based solutions like robots, drones, endoscopic cameras etc. are being mobilized from DST, DRDO and many private startups and companies. Was also collected.
All concerned ministries and organizations such as Army, Air Force, BRO, NDRF, NDMA, Government of Uttarakhand, District Administration and many private units were also contacted.
A meeting of all the agencies working at the incident site was held at the PMO on November 20 under the chairmanship of Dr. Mishra. In the meeting, heads of all agencies were directed to monitor the rescue operations on an hourly basis.
On 27 November, Dr. Mishra reached the spot along with the Home Secretary. Deputy Secretary Mangesh Ghildiyal remained in Uttarkashi till the successful completion of the rescue operation on 28 November.