Telangana tunnel collapse: Search ops underway to locate seven missing persons
Nagarkurnool (PTI): The search operation to locate seven persons trapped inside the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) since February 22 gathered pace with teams and equipment went inside the tunnel on Sunday, official sources said.
An autonomous hydraulic-powered robot is being used to remove soil, along with equipment such as a 30 HP capacity liquid ring vacuum pump and a vacuum tank machine, which facilitate the quick removal of soil and other debris inside the tunnel, accelerating the search operation, an official release said on Saturday.
Approximately 620 cubic meters of soil and muck can be removed from the tunnel per hour using a conveyor belt, it added.
Teams from the Army, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, human remains detection dogs (HRDD), state-run miner Singareni Collieries, a Hyderabad-based robotics company, and other agencies have been actively involved in the mission.
The search operation has been ongoing round-the-clock, including de-watering efforts.
The body of Gurpreet Singh, who worked as a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) operator, was recovered on March 9 and handed over to his family members in Punjab.
Apart from Gurpreet Singh, the seven others still trapped include Manoj Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Sunny Singh (Jammu & Kashmir), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab), and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, and Anuj Sahu, all from Jharkhand.
The eight individuals—comprising engineers and labourers—got trapped in the 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.
