Telangana tunnel collapse: Robots join search operation
Nagarkurnool (PTI): Robots on Tuesday joined the operation to locate the seven persons who remain trapped inside the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel here since February 22.
The team of a Hyderabad-based robotics company along with a robot went inside the tunnel Tuesday morning. 110 rescue personnel also went into the tunnel.
The Telangana government has decided to deploy robots to avoid any danger to the rescue personnel as the conditions inside the tunnel, including water and slush, posed a challenge.
State irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on said the government would spend Rs four crores to undertake the operation by utilizing the services of robot experts (of the Hyderabad-based private company).
Fragments of the huge Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) got submerged under water, soil and stones inside the tunnel caused hazard to the rescue team, he had said.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who visited the tunnel on March 2, suggested to the officials leading the operation to use robots inside the tunnel if necessary, to avoid any danger to the rescue personnel.
The search operations have been continuing with teams from NDRF, state-run miner Singareni Collieries, rat miners and others working at specific spots indicated by cadaver dogs and radar survey to locate the seven persons.
Rescue personnel guided by the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) surveys conducted by the scientists of National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) in Hyderabad are focusing efforts at suspected locations.
The search was further aided by Human Remains Detection Dogs (HRDD) of Kerala police.
Two days ago, the rescue personnel recovered the dead body of Gurpreet Singh, a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator who worked for a foreign company involved in tunnel works.
The body was sent to his native place in Punjab in a hearse van.
The Telangana government has provided an ex-gratia of Rs 25 lakh to his family.
Apart from Gurpreet Singh, seven others trapped include Manoj Kumar (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.
The eight persons -- engineers and labourers -- got trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) project tunnel after a portion of it collapsed on February 22.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
