Silkyara Tunnel collapse: 15-men NDRF team roped in to rescue 41 trapped workers
Uttarkashi, Nov 22: A 15-man strong NDRF team led by a commandant has been tasked to take out one by one the 41 labourers stuck for the last 10 days in the collapsed Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarkashi.
The evacuation method which involves a series of 800 mm diameter steel pipes has proven to be a big challenge for the rescuers so far.
The NDRF jawans have conducted a mock drill on how they will go through the pipe to the other side of the rubble where the labourers are stuck, NDRF second-in-command (2 ic) Ravi Shankar Badhani told PTI.
A team of doctors has been deployed inside the tunnel as well as ambulances outside for the safe passage of the rescued.
According to the evacuation plan, wheel-fitted low-height stretchers will be taken to the other side where workers are trapped, a government source said.
The men from the National Disaster Response Force, wearing oxygen kits, will crawl through the pipe carrying a stretcher, a rope, and oxygen kits for workers.
"The stretcher will be tied with ropes from both sides and one by one, these workers will be taken out," an officer told PTI.
A team of NDRF will stay put on the other side till every worker is evacuated, the officer said.
The ambulances will transport the workers to a hospital, set up in Chinyalisaur, about 30 kilometres from the tunnel spot.
Forty-one ambulances stand ready outside the tunnel to transport the evacuees to the Chinyalisaur CHC where a separate ward has been created for them with 41 oxygen-supported beds, said the officer.
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People are voting fearlessly in West Bengal this time: PM Modi
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said voters
are casting their vote in West Bengal this time in a "fearless atmosphere", which was unimaginable in the past six or seven decades.
He also asserted that the assembly poll results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India.
Voting is underway in 142 constituencies of West Bengal in the second and final phase of polling.
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the Ganga Expressway here, Modi said today marks an important day in the festival of democracy.
"Voting for the second phase is underway in Bengal, and reports indicate a massive turnout, with people stepping out in large numbers just like in the first phase. Images of long queues at polling stations are flooding social media, reflecting the enthusiasm of the people to exercise their democratic right," he said.
"What we are witnessing in Bengal today is unprecedented which was difficult to imagine in the past six to seven decades, a fearless environment where people are voting without fear," he said.
The prime minister said this is a powerful symbol of the country's Constitution and the strengthening of democracy.
"I express my gratitude to the great people of Bengal for being so aware of their rights and participating in large numbers," he said.
With several hours of voting still left, the prime minister urged the people of Bengal to continue participating in this democratic festival with the same enthusiasm.
Modi said in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP and NDA achieved a historic and decisive victory.
"Just yesterday, results of local body elections in Gujarat showed that the BJP secured victories in nearly 80 to 85 percent of municipalities and panchayats.
"The results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India and will infuse new energy into the pace of development of the country."
The first phase of polling for 152 seats -- out of the 294-member West Bengal assembly -- was held on April 23.
The counting of votes for assembly polls in Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry, Assam and Tamil Nadu will take place on May 4.
