Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: The nation heaved a sigh of relief as the multi-agency rescue operation that witnessed several ups and downs, succeeded on November 28 when 41 workers trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi for over 400 hours were pulled out to safety.
The success of the operation was the result of coordinated efforts involving various Central and state agencies, PSUs and the PMO.
Once the operation was declared a success, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the rescued workers over the phone. In a post on X, he said, “The success of the rescue operation of our brothers in Uttarkashi is making everyone emotional. I want to say to the friends who were trapped in the tunnel that your courage and patience are inspiring everyone. I wish you all well and good health.” The Prime Minister also appreciated the efforts of the rescue teams.
Media reports quoting sources said that soon after getting the information about the collapse of a portion of the under-construction tunnel, PK Mishra, Principal Secretary to the PM, had formed a team to monitor the operations. The intervention of the PMO was crucial for mobilisation of experts and machines from various agencies, like the ONGC, DRDO and some other PSUs.
Lt Gen Ata Hasnain (Retd), a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in an interview to a national daily on the states involved in the rescue operation said: “From Odisha to Chhattisgarh to Madhya Pradesh and from other side, from Gujarat to Rajasthan to Haryana to Delhi, and of course Uttrakhand – so many states were involved.”
