Uttarkashi tunnel: All rescued workers taken for health check-up

All 41 workers will undergo a thorough medical examination and will be kept under observation at the health facility at Chinyalisaur

As the 17-day-long rescue operation came to an end, all the 41 workers were taken to a 40-bedded health facility at Chinyalisaur, nearly 30 kilometres away from the under-construction tunnel site, where they will undergo a thorough medical examination and will be kept under observation.

Nearly 40 ambulances were kept ready at the tunnel site.

Arrangements at the tunnel site were kept ready in view of the safety and well-being of the workers, for whom nearly 40 ambulances were kept ready. They were taken to Chinyalisaur immediately after they came out, amid celebrations by locals and their family members

After the successful rescue operation, Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami told reporters, “They will be thoroughly checked and kept under supervision of the doctors after which they will be discharged. They are all safe and healthy. Instead of stretchers, they came out on their own, crawling out of the tunnel”.

For health checkups of the workers, health facilities were created at three places, a 10-bedded facility was set up at the tunnel site, 40 bedded facility at Chinyalisaur and at the district hospital Uttarkashi, officials familiar with the matter said.

A green corridor was created to take the workers to Chinyalisaur and the district hospital. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) deployed their personnel with lights, wheeled stretchers, ropes and ladders at the tunnel, and helped the workers to come out.

Officials said workers have been taken to Chinyalisaur for detailed medical examination and would be discharged only after they get stabilised.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and expressed his good wishes on the safe evacuation of 41 workers. PM sought information from Dhami about the condition and well-being of workers. Dhami apprised him about the arrangements made for the health checkup of the workers and for their return to their homes.

Dhami said he informed the PM that after the rescue, all the workers have been taken directly to the hospital at Chinyalisaur where their necessary health check-ups will be done. He said family members of the workers have also been taken to Chinyalisaur, from where the state government will make all arrangements for their transportation to their respective homes as per their convenience.

The chief minister said that this rescue operation has been successful only due to the efficient guidance of the Prime Minister. He said that “with the coordination of all the agencies of the central government and the state government, we have been successful in evacuating 41 workers safely”.

Lt Gen (retd) Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), told media persons that an Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper was kept on standby at Chinyalisaur, in case the workers are required to be air-lifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Rishikesh.

On the safe rescue of workers, Dhami lauded the entire rescue team engaged in this operation. He said that the happiness on the faces of the workers and their families is the biggest inspiration for him.

Dhami said that this operation was successful due to the promptness of the rescue team, the support of technology, the vitality of the labourers trapped inside the tunnel, the moment-to-moment monitoring by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the grace of Baba Boukhnag, the local deity.

Dhami said, “Today is a very happy day for me. Today, I am feeling elated as are the labourers and their families. I express my heartfelt gratitude to each and every member associated with the rescue operation, who made this campaign successful”.

Dhami said that world- class technology and experts were engaged in this operation. “PM Modi monitored this operation on a moment-to-moment basis. Under his guidance, excellent coordination transformed the impossible into possible. I express my gratitude towards each and every member associated with the rescue operations,” he said.