Mysuru: Krishnaraja constituency MLA and BJP leader S A Ramdas on Saturday reportedly said lighting candles as instructed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi will kill Coronavirus as the virus will die due to the heat produced by the candles.

On Saturday, the MLA was speaking to media reporters after distributing masks and candles among people. He called on people to switch off the lights of their houses and to light candles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Friday in a video message to the people of the country had urged people to switch off the lights of their houses and to light candles and flashlights in their balconies at 9 pm on April 5.

Ramdas said that the virus will come towards the candle when lights are off and the heat produced by the candles will then kill the virus, thereby calling on people to follow the request of PM Modi on April 5.

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Nagarkurnool (Telangana) (PTI): The teams engaged in rescuing eight persons who remain trapped in a partially collapsed SLBC tunnel have began cutting the part of Tunnel Boring Machine and other obstacles that are preventing them from going to the spot where they can search for the individuals.

Nagarkurnool Superintendent of Police Vaibhav Gaikwad said the damaged part of the conveyor belt in the tunnel is expected to be repaired during the day to facilitate the transportation of debris.

“Yes, it's already (gas cutting machines went inside). (even during) Nights they did some cutting. Yes, it has already started last night,” the official told PTI when asked if the gas cutters started working.

Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said the TBM that is struck inside will be cut into pieces by using gas cutters and removed. After this, the Army, Navy, Rat Miners and NDRF teams will make another serious effort to rescue the eight persons who are missing, without compromising their own safety.

Replying to a query, the SP said he can not answer if the trapped individuals will be located today.

According to sources some of the workers engaged in the tunnel work have stated leaving the place out of fear.

A senior government official said there are 800 people working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project out of which 300 are locals while the rest are from states like Jharkhand, Odisha and UP.

On the media reports that labourers are panicked after the accident and planning to leave, the official said the initial apprehension will be there among the workers.

“The company constructed residential camps also for the workers. The initial panic will be there . Maybe some individuals want to go back. But we have no reports of workers leaving en masse,” the official said.

Eight personnel working on the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel project were trapped after a portion of the tunnel collapsed on February 22.

Meanwhile, former minister and BRS legislator T Harish Rao would visit the SLBC project today along with his party leaders.

Jaiprakash Gaur, Founder Chairman of Jaypee Group, the contracting firm of SLBC project on Wednesday reacted to the incident saying accidents may happen during difficult works.

Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, the flagship company of Jaypee Group, was awarded the tunnel boring of SLBC.

Gaur further said the teams are doing their best to see that those trapped individuals come out.

Two engineers and four labourers of the eight trapped persons are working for Jaiprakash Associates.

The trapped persons have been identified as Manoj Kumar (UP), Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab) and Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu and Anuj Sahau, all from Jharkhand. Of the eight, two are engineers, two are operators and remaining four are labourers.