DEHRADUN/ SILKYARA: On Sunday, the 15th day that the 41 workers spent trapped inside the Silkyara tunnelhopes were fast diminishing amidst consecutive setbacks caused by the auger machine’s failure to drill beyond 45 meters. It was then that a decision was taken, to deploy a team of ‘rat-hole’ minerswhich turned out to be a game-changer.
The team of miners, known for their specialisation in burrowing through narrow stretches, worked in shifts and excavated the final 12 meters.They reached the trapped men in less than 24 hours, a feat described by many experts as ‘extraordinary.’
The miners, who work for a Delhi-based private company ‘Rockwell’, undertook the operation under the supervision of the Indian Army. Team leader Wakeel Hasan told TOI they had “past experience of excavating small tunnels for laying long sewer and water pipe lines but nothing of the scale encountered during the tunnel rescue.”
“We have worked in Delhi, Rajasthan, UP and other states. However, this was our first encounter with a rescue operationthat too of this scale. I am proud of my team that managed to pull it off successfully.”
Speaking to TOI, Devendra, one of the ‘rat-hole’ miners, said, “The workers were so happy to see us when we achieved the breakthrough. They hugged us when we entered the other side.”
Queried how they were assigned the job, Hasan said that Navyug, the construction company, which is building the 4.5km-long Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, had called them for the task.
Describing it as the most demanding — and satisfying — job of their career, Hasan added, “We realised that there was a lot of expectation from us. The eyes of the entire country were on us and we couldn’t afford to disappoint.”
He revealed that they refused to accept money for the operation. “It was for our fellow-countrymen,” he said.
The team of miners, known for their specialisation in burrowing through narrow stretches, worked in shifts and excavated the final 12 meters.They reached the trapped men in less than 24 hours, a feat described by many experts as ‘extraordinary.’
The miners, who work for a Delhi-based private company ‘Rockwell’, undertook the operation under the supervision of the Indian Army. Team leader Wakeel Hasan told TOI they had “past experience of excavating small tunnels for laying long sewer and water pipe lines but nothing of the scale encountered during the tunnel rescue.”
“We have worked in Delhi, Rajasthan, UP and other states. However, this was our first encounter with a rescue operationthat too of this scale. I am proud of my team that managed to pull it off successfully.”
Speaking to TOI, Devendra, one of the ‘rat-hole’ miners, said, “The workers were so happy to see us when we achieved the breakthrough. They hugged us when we entered the other side.”
Queried how they were assigned the job, Hasan said that Navyug, the construction company, which is building the 4.5km-long Silkyara-Barkot tunnel, had called them for the task.
Describing it as the most demanding — and satisfying — job of their career, Hasan added, “We realised that there was a lot of expectation from us. The eyes of the entire country were on us and we couldn’t afford to disappoint.”
He revealed that they refused to accept money for the operation. “It was for our fellow-countrymen,” he said.