The trapped workers at the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand will have to wait even further as the rescuers have hit fresh roadblocks. While there has been no progress for the last 24 hours, work is underway to remove the blades of the Auger machine using a plasma cutter. The blade broke inside during drilling. Meanwhile, some Indian Army personnel and one of their JCBs have reached the site. 


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Official sources have reported that a protective covering is being installed within the Silkyara tunnel, where 41 workers have been trapped for a duration of two weeks. This measure aims to safeguard the rescue team during their operations.



Additionally, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has taken steps to ease the distress of the 41 trapped workers in the Silkyara tunnel by providing them with a landline connection, facilitating communication with their families. Kundan, a BSNL representative, mentioned their ongoing efforts to deliver a compact landline phone to the workers via a pipeline.


BSNL has established a small telephone exchange at the tunnel site to support this service, connecting the phone through a dedicated line. In parallel, a senior official engaged in the rescue efforts mentioned that mobile phones have also been dispatched to the trapped workers, enabling them to engage in recreational activities like gaming during their confinement.


"There is no mobile network nearby but we are also considering providing Wi-Fi connectivity. We are also considering providing a cricket bat and ball to the workers so that they can play cricket. You can spend your time playing because there is a lot of space inside the tunnel where the workers are trapped, so cricket can be played easily," the official said.


National Disaster Management Authority Member, Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain (retired) on Saturday said that there has been no movement in the last 24 hours in the drilling work to rescue the 41 workers trapped in the Uttarkashi tunnel for 13 days. The NDMA member said that a portion of the American-Auger machine was broken, blocking the potential escape route.


"The current update is that (in) the last 24 hours, there hasn't been any movement within this bore tunnel that was being made for the rescue. Because...the Auger machine itself has had a bit of an accident. A portion of it (has actually) broken, and that broken portion has to be pulled out (of the escape pipe)," Hasnain told ANI.


After a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel trapped 41 labourers inside the under-construction structure. (With ANI inputs)