Their voices are getting weaker, their strength
seemingly dimming, those keeping vigil outside the Silkyara tunnel said after
speaking to their relatives trapped inside for seven days – and counting.
The under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route
collapsed with 41 labourers inside it last Sunday.
As the hours tick by, the desperation of families
waiting outside is mounting. That rescue operations have been suspended since
Friday when a US-made auger machine deployed to drill and push in pipes through
the rubble to prepare an escape passage for the workers developed a snag has
exacerbated the anxiety.
The health condition of the men counting the hours
inside the dark tunnel is worsening and his family back home getting
increasingly panicky, said Haridwar Sharma, whose younger brother Sushil is
among those inside the tunnel.
“All we are getting are assurances from authorities
that the trapped labourers will be rescued. It has been nearly a week,” said Sharma,
who is from Bihar’s Rohtas district.
“There is no work going on inside the tunnel. Neither
the company nor the government is doing anything. The company says a machine is
on the way,” he added tearfully.
Among those waiting is the family of Gabbar Singh
Negi. His two brothers, Maharaj Singh and Prem Singh, and son Akash Singh have
been camping outside, desperate for any sliver of news that comes their way.
The family belongs to Kotdwar in the State.
Maharaj said he spoke to Gabbar through a pipe used
for supplying oxygen and his voice sounded very feeble.
“I could not talk to my brother. His voice sounded
very weak. He was hardly audible. Rescue work in the tunnel has come to a halt.
Those trapped are also short of food and water. We have come to the end of our
patience. What more can I say?” said Maharaj.
Their brother Prem said the trapped workers are
beginning to lose hope. “Gabbar said he is alright but his voice is feebler
now. They are getting light edibles like chana, kheer and badam. How long can
they sustain on this? Work has been stalled for 30-32 hours inside the tunnel,”
Prem said.
Gabbar’s son Akash Singh said, “His voice was low.
Though he said he was alright so that we don’t get worried. His low voice said
it all. There are no engineers inside, only people who send food and water
through a pipe to the trapped workers from time to time are there.”
As anxiety levels mount, officials at the spot said a high-performance
drilling machine airlifted from Indore has landed at Dehradun’s Jollygrant
airport here and being taken by road to Silkyara where it will be unloaded and
assembled before being deployed for drilling.
By the time the operation was halted on Friday
afternoon, the heavy-duty auger machine had drilled up to 24 metres through the
rubble spread over around a 60-metre area inside the tunnel.
Around 2.45 pm on Friday, during the positioning of a
fifth pipe, a big cracking sound was heard in the tunnel upon which rescue
operation was suspended immediately, said a statement from the National
Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL), the company
tasked with the construction of the tunnel.
The sound created panic among the rescue team. An
expert involved with the project warned about the possibility of further
collapse in the vicinity. Subsequently, the pipe pushing activity was stopped.
PTI
