INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
53m-long pipe is a veritable lifeline.We had been trying to do this for the last nine days
This will enable us to send nutritious and larger quantities of food and other essentials like medicines in
sent to the workers, the first time they will get a hot meal after days of having to make do with chickpeas, almonds, cashews and popcorn,
ANI reported.The new supply line will help send more medicine - boost ventilation.Earlier, a four-inch steel pipe was being used by the
But it could only send the dry food
Some of the men had complained of stomach ache
working on another vertical pipeline for supply of essential items, according to officials of NHIDCL, the central government PSU which has
are trapped is 8.5m high and about 2km long
This is the tunnel's built-up portion where concreting work has been done...Water and electricity are available in this part of the
called 'Daksh'.Significantly, rescue operations were virtually on hold since Friday afternoon as the central agencies tasked for it were
setting themselves up for the next stage -- working simultaneously on "five options" to reach the trapped workers.Experts from several
agencies continued with their groundwork before drilling into the tunnel from multiple spots began.NHIDCL will drill with the American auger
machine from the Silkyara end
The machine is expected to resume action from Monday night, officials added.Tehri Hydroelectric Development Corporation (THDC), on the other
hand, has started digging a "tunnel" of 2x2 metres from the Barkot side, for which heavy machinery was mobilised on Sunday
THDC officials said, "Approximate distance from Barkot-end to the spot where the workers are trapped is about 450m."Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam
Limited (SJVNL) will, further, conduct vertical drilling
The point where the drilling process will be done is about 320m from the tunnel's entry
Officials said that "roughly 89m of vertical boring needs to be done to reach the trapped workers."Sources said the first machine of SJVNL
for construction of the vertical rescue tunnel has already reached the site and operations would commence after completion of the access
road by Border Roads Organization (BRO)
Two more machines are being mobilised from Gujarat and Odisha
initial work for vertical drilling from Barkot and the machines for that are being brought in from the USA, Mumbai and Ghaziabad, officials
