Odisha CM, Labour Minister Express Relief; Celebration In Villages Of 5 Workers Rescued From Uttarakhand Tunnel

Bhubaneswar: Families of trapped workers from Odisha erupted with joy and set off firecrackers as they walked out of the collapsed Uttarkashi tunnel after 17 days on Tuesday.

Forty-one workers, including five from Odisha, were trapped inside the tunnel after it collapsed on November 12 following a landslide.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed happiness over the success of the operation and appreciated the efforts put in by the agencies, rescue teams and engineers, which facilitated the safe rescue of the trapped workers. “It gives me immense pleasure to learn about the successful rescue operation and I am very happy that our workers will return home safe,” he said in a statement.

The five workers of Odisha, who were trapped in the tunnel, were Khirod Nayak, Dhiren Nayak and Bisweswar Nayak from Mayurbhanj district, Bhagwan Bhatra of Nabarangpur and Tapan Mandal of Bhadrak district.

People in Bhatra’s village Talabeda celebrated by bursting firecrackers and beating drums and gongs. Locals at Bangriposi also greeted the family members of Dhiren Nayak. “I got a call from our family member who is camped there in Uttarakhand that my husband has been rescued safely,” said Dhiren’s wife.

Khirod’s father Mochiram Nayak thanked the personnel involved in the rescue operation and said that he will not allow his son to go to Uttarakhand again for work. “I request the state government to provide work to my son here,” he stated.

State Labour and Employee’s State Insurance Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak, who had been camping at Uttarkashi for the past five days, also expressed satisfaction after the trapped workers were rescued from the tunnel. “They are all in good health and taken to hospital, where they will be kept under observation, probably for 24 hours. We will wait for them to be discharged from the hospital and then decide the process of taking them back along with their family members, who are here,” Nayak told dailies here.

Three officials from the labour department were also at the site.

On November 25, the Odisha government had sent family members of three workers to Uttarkashi, where couple of family members of two other workers were already camping, and arranged for their food and accommodation.

According to reports, medical checkup of 41 workers is on at Chiniyalisaud Community Health Centre. They are being given food as per the doctors’ advice. Health Director of Garhwal Division, in-charge of the rescue operation, Dr Pravin Kumar had earlier noted that  constant communication with the trapped workers helped in maintaining their mental health stability.

(With inputs from PTI , TNIE and TOI)