Amid last leg of Uttarakhand rescue op, PM Modi takes stock of trapped workers; extends support to CM Dhami
The Prime Minister also inquired about the condition of the workers and gave some important instructions to CM Dhami.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on the phone and took stock of the the ongoing rescue operation to evacuate 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district for 12 days. According to a government update, PM Modi also inquired about the condition of the workers and gave some important instructions to CM Dhami.
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“The Prime Minister directed that there should be no shortcomings of any kind in this. He also asked about the progress of the rescue work. (He) also asked the Chief Minister that if any other support is needed then please inform about it also. Also took information about the families of the workers,” the Uttarakhand govt's public relations department wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The strenuous rescue operation has been facing several hindrances, the recent being a development of cracks on the platform on which the US-made drilling machine was mounted. As per the official bulletin, the pushing of the 9th pipe started at 1:10 am on Friday and the pipe reached an additional 1.8 meters, but suddenly, a minor vibration was noted. The experts are currently assessing the machine and the final push for drilling the remaining distance through the debris will begin shortly.
Earlier, CM Dhami said PM Modi has been taking regular updates about the operation over phone calls. "We are getting continuous guidance from the Prime Minister in this difficult situation. It provides us with a new energy every day to evacuate our trapped brothers safely at the earliest applying all our strength," he wrote on X.
While interacting with the CM, Modi instructed to carry out immediate health checkups of the workers and send them to hospitals if required. He also asked about the kind of food and daily essentials being provided to the men, as well as inquired about the conditions of the rescuers working round the clock.
