28 November,2023 02:28 PM IST | Uttarkashi | mid-day online correspondent
Rescue officials amid ongoing rescue operation of the 41 workers trapped inside tunnel/ PTI
The father of a worker trapped in Uttarkashi's Silkyara tunnel, Chaudhry, expressed hope today, expecting the two-week-long wait for his son's rescue along with the release of forty other workers, stated a PTI report. He gave a positive comment on the progress that the rescuers had made in getting closer to the suspected location of the workers, which is 57 metres inside the tunnel.
According to the report, the horizontal drilling has progressed to 55.3 metres, according to officials, and Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand, has confirmed that pipes up to 52 metres have been inserted through the debris.
Chaudhry, who was from Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Khiri, was excited about the evacuation and obeyed the officials' orders to get his belongings and clothes ready. After the rescue, he said he was ready to go with his son to the hospital, where he was assured that plans would be made for the families.
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"Officials have told us evacuation of workers is likely. We have been asked to keep our clothes and belongings ready," he was quoted as saying. He added, "But we have been told arrangements will be made for us wherever they are taken after evacuation."
Despite the 17-day rescue operation, Chaudhry seemed more optimistic, and the atmosphere around the tunnel site seemed more hopeful. There was a ray of hope because he had lost his older son before and now he might save his younger one.
The older brother of trapped worker Gabbar Singh, Jaimal Singh, found it difficult to express his feelings but took comfort in the favourable weather that seemed to be radiating optimism. He expressed the families' general optimism and readiness to hear the orders for the workers' evacuation, ready to put an end to their excruciating wait.
"Even, nature looks cheerful today. A cool wind has stirred up the leaves and trees. The weather is good. We are hopeful. We have been asked to keep our belongings rolled up and wait for further instructions. We have been waiting outside for them and they (trapped workers) have been struggling. Let's hope all that ends soon," he said.
