Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: PM Modi speaks to Dhami on rescue operations, says need to maintain workers’ morale

Team Udayavani, Nov 20, 2023, 11:02 AM IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami over phone to take stock of the rescue operations being carried out at the Silkyara tunnel to evacuate 41 workers trapped for over a week.

Necessary rescue equipment and resources, he said, are being provided by the Centre and through mutual coordination between central and state agencies, the trapped workers will be safely evacuated. The prime minister said it is necessary to maintain the morale of the trapped workers, according to a statement issued by the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s Office. This is the third time that the prime minister has spoken to Dhami about the rescue operations being carried out at the tunnel.

The chief minister briefed the prime minister about the rescue operations in detail and said all the trapped workers are safe with oxygen, nutritious food and water being constantly supplied to them. All agencies are working in full coordination with each other in consultation with experts to carry out the rescue operations. The labourers have been trapped since last Sunday at the partially collapsed Silkyara tunnel.

The Silkyara tunnel, about 30 km from the district headquarters of Uttarkashi and a seven-hour drive from the Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, is part of the ambitious Char Dham all-weather road project of the central government.