Telangana tunnel collapse: Search ops continue for 25th day to locate seven missing persons
Nagarkurnool (Telangana) (PTI): The search operation to locate the seven persons trapped inside the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel continued for the 25th day on Tuesday.
Personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, state-run miner Singareni Collieries, rat miners, and others intensified the search efforts using the necessary equipment, officials said.
The teams conducted search operations at the 'D1' and 'D2' points, which were identified as possible locations of human presence.
On Monday, cadaver dogs inspected the 'D1' and 'D2' spots.
Rescue personnel continued working to remove parts of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which were obstructing the search operation. The excavation process was accelerated with the help of personnel and an excavator, while de-watering efforts continued simultaneously.
The body of Gurpreet Singh, a TBM operator, was recovered on March 9 and handed over to his family in Punjab. Seven others remain trapped inside the tunnel.
A total of eight individuals—including engineers and labourers—were trapped in the SLBC project tunnel when a portion of it collapsed on February 22.
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Police turns down Sengottaiyan's plea to hold Vijay's rally in Erode, after spot inspection
Erode (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Police declined permission to hold TVK chief Vijay's public meeting in Erode on December 16, after former minister K A Sengottaiyan, who recently joined the party, submitted a petition on Sunday, sources in the department said.
Erode is the home turf of Sengottaiyan, a nine-time MLA and former minister, who joined the actor-politician's party after being expelled from AIADMK. The meeting would have been an opportunity for him to prove his strength in organising a meeting of this scale.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, "The TVK chief will visit Erode on December 16 and address a public meeting in a private land near a marriage hall".
The former minister also submitted a petition to the District Collector S Kandasamy seeking permission for the meeting. Later, he submitted a copy of the petition to the officials in the District Police Office.
Following this, A Sujatha, Superintendent of Police, inspected the seven-acre site in the Pavalathampalayam area on Erode-Perundurai Road where TVK wanted to hold the meeting.
Later, police officials told the media that TVK's petition stated that they expected a 70-thousand strong crowd. The site proposed by them is quite inadequate to accommodate that much crowd and their vehicles and hence permission was declined, they added.
The officials also said that the decision was communicated to Sengottaiyan, and he was asked to choose a different spot.
