An endoscopic camera was placed inside the tunnel through a six-inch pipe that was pulled through the rubble last night...
Digital Desk: Ten days into a difficult rescue operation, workers stranded in a Uttarakhand tunnel were first seen early this morning as a camera inserted through a pipe captured their visuals.
In an effort to provide food for the 41 workers who have been stranded since a section of the tunnel collapsed on November 12, an endoscopic camera was placed inside the tunnel through a six-inch pipe that was pulled through the rubble last night.
In pictures, the labourers could be seen waving to the camera while wearing hard hats and protective gear to show that they are coping well with their difficult situation. The workers were observed being asked to come in front of the camera by rescue officials who were communicating with them by radio phones or walkie-talkies.
An official could be heard asking them, "Aap camera ke paas walkie talkie pe aake baat karein (come in front of the camera and talk to us through Walkie Talkie)".
The stranded workers and rescuers also had their first hot meal in ten days when khichdi in glass bottles was sent down the pipe yesterday night. They had been surviving on water and dried fruits till now.
The worker's mobile phones and chargers will soon be delivered via the pipe, said Colonel Deepak Patil, an official in charge of rescue operations.
The workers' video was shared by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who assured everyone that they were all safe and would soon be rescued.
The landscape and the nature of the nearby rocks caused difficulties in the previous week, despite several attempts to rescue the workers failed. Last week, landslides also delayed efforts.
In order to reach the trapped personnel, the Center has developed a five-option action plan that includes drilling from three angles. Five separate agencies are carrying out each operation.
The main tunnel is being drilled horizontally from the right and left, and a vertical shaft is going to be bored from the top of the tunnel.
Numerous organizations, including the NDRF, SDRF, BRO, and ITBP, are involved in the 24-hour rescue effort. Yesterday, a team of foreign tunnelling experts arrived to assist with the work. The defence research organization DRDO has also sent a robotics team.
According to officials, food and water are being provided to all workers via steel pipes that have been drilled into the opening, and everyone is safe.
The ambitious Char Dham project, a national infrastructure plan to improve connectivity to the Hindu pilgrimage sites of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, includes the tunnel that is now under construction.
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