All 41 workers, who were evacuated from
Silkyara tunnel after an ordeal of 17 days, are fit to return home, declared the
AIIMS-Rishikesh on Thursday.
Briefing the media on their health
condition, General Medicine department head Dr Ravikant said the workers were
thoroughly examined and their blood test, X-ray and ECG reports were normal.
“They are physically normal and
clinically stable. We have given them clearance to return home,” he said.
However, Dr Ravikant said one of the
workers from Uttarakhand stayed back at the facility for the treatment of a
congenital medical condition.
A worker from Uttarakhand has been
incidentally diagnosed with Atrial Septal Defect, an anomaly that is present at
birth, he said.
“His physical condition and vitals are
normal. He has been shifted from the Disaster Ward to the Department of
Cardiology for further investigations. This disorder is not related to tunnel
collapse,” he said.
The workers were rescued from the
partially collapsed tunnel in Uttarkashi after a long-drawn operation on the
night of Tuesday.
After being kept under medical
observation for a night at the community health centre at Chinyalisaur, they
were airlifted to AIIMS, Rishikesh for a thorough examination of their health
parameters on Wednesday.
As they have come out of a tunnel after
17 days, the workers might need acclimatisation, the doctor said, adding they
have been advised to go to the nearest hospital after two weeks for a check-up.
“On the basis of their major organ
screening, we can say they are fit to travel. As they were taken good care of
during their confinement in the tunnel with regular feeding, there was no case
of starvation. Most of them are young or of middle age. That also helped them
stay fit,” said Ravikant.
Doctors will stay connected with the
workers through tele-medicine to monitor their mental health for the next few
weeks, he said in reply to a question.
About how they will be taken home, the
hospital authorities said respective state governments are working out details
of their departure.
The number of workers from Jharkhand is
the highest at 15. A nodal officer from Jharkhand, who is at AIIMS, said they
will be airlifted.
Apart from 15 workers from Jharkhand, eight
are from Uttar Pradesh, five each from Odisha and Bihar, three from West
Bengal, two each from Uttarakhand and Assam, and one from Himachal Pradesh.
Meanwhile, Navayuga Engineering Company
Limited (NECL), the firm for which the 41 labourers worked at the Silkyara
tunnel, has given a cheque of ₹ 2 lakh to each of the rescued workers as
compensation and announced a bonus of two months for them when they report back
to duty.
The management has also decided to give
two months’ bonus to all the employees at the site. “We have also advised all
our employees to take rest for a few days before coming back to work,” said NECL’s
HR department head Rajeev.
PTI
