Uttarakhand Tunnel Collapse: Odisha Labour Minister To Visit Mishap Site

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Labour Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak is set to visit Uttarakhand where 41 labourers, including five from the state, have been trapped in an under-construction tunnel for around two weeks.

Sources said a special team from Odisha including the Labour and Employee’s State Insurance Minister will visit the crash site and review the rescue operation being undertaken there.

The family members of Odia workers will also reach Uttarkashi district where part of the under-construction tunnel collapsed.

The Minister said all necessary steps are being taken by the government providing facilities to the kin of the trapped to reach the mishap site in Uttarakhand.

Five workers from Odisha among 41 workers have been trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel. The labourers from the state were — Dhiren Nayak of Badakudar and Bisweswar Nayak of Jogibandh in Mayurbhanj district, Raju Nayak from Kuldiha in Balasore, Bhagaban Bhotra of Nabarangpur and Tapan Mandal of Bhadrak district. They are trapped in the Uttarkashi Silkyara tunnel at Uttarakhand after a portion of the tunnel collapsed 14 days back.

As per  reports, the labourers from Odisha were engaged at the site by Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd which is implementing Silkyara tunnel work for National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL).

The rescue operation at Uttarkashi is in the final stage. The state government has also sent the families of Odia workers trapped in the tunnel.

The drilling operation was halted again on Friday as the rescue team reportedly faced technical glitches. The administration decided to deploy manual cutters for the remaining portion of collapsed tunnel. After several failed attempts, the rescue teams planned to use vertical drilling option to evacuate the trapped workers.