Work is currently underway to retrieve the parts of the auger machine
Government agencies have been engaged in the ongoing rescue operations at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi, where 41 workers remain trapped for the past 15 days.
National and international experts are assisting in the rescue operations, which began on November 12 after a portion of the under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route collapsed following a landslide.
Work is currently underway to retrieve the parts of the auger machine, which got stuck during the horizontal drilling inside the tunnel.
A DRDO team with a plasma cutter was today flown in from Hyderabad to cut and remove parts of the auger machine. However, the cutting of the auger with the plasma cutter had to be stopped due to operational difficulties at the site, following which gas cutters were used.
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The auger drilling had started on Wednesday but was halted due to a metallic object (lattice girder rib) being encountered in front of the pipe. It has forced officials to consider switching to other options that may delay the rescue operation by several days.
Vertical drilling, which is considered the second best option, has also started, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Member Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain told reporters today.
The work on vertical drilling started around noon and about 15 meters of drilling has already been completed, he said.
After 86 meters of vertical drilling, the crust of the tunnel will have to be broken to bring out the trapped workers, Mr Hasnain added.
He also said that six plans are being executed to rescue the trapped workers and that the best option so far is horizontal drilling, under which 47 meters of drilling have been completed.
The area, where workers have been trapped, measures about 8.5 meters in height and 2 kilometres in length and is the built-up portion of the tunnel.
The workers, meanwhile, remain safe and are being provided cooked food and fresh fruits via a pipe at regular intervals.
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A modified communication system with wire connectivity, which has been developed by the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), is being used for communication with the workers.