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Call from trapped son rekindles his family’s hopes amid tunnel rescue op
The magical impact of the phone call resonated throughout the family, alleviating concerns about Manjeet’s well-being inside the tunnel.
Lakhimpur Kheri: In a heartening turn of events, Manjeet Chauhan, a 22-year-old resident of Bhairampur village in Nighasan tehsil, Lakhimpur Kheri, trapped inside Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel since November 11, provided a much-needed reassurance to his worried family. The conversation, facilitated by officials at the tunnel site, unfolded on Saturday evening, marking the 13th day of Manjeet’s ordeal.
Known as Chaudharain, Manjeet’s mother had a direct conversation with her son, a moment that brought smiles to the faces of his mother, sisters, uncle, and grandfather. The magical impact of the phone call resonated throughout the family, alleviating concerns about Manjeet’s well-being inside the tunnel.
Shatrohan Lal, Manjeet’s uncle, shared the details of the conversation, stating, “On Saturday evening, we had a direct call from Manjeet who said he was safe and in good health inside the tunnel and asked all of us to keep patience as efforts were on to ensure their release.” Manjeet conveyed that he had access to proper food and reassured the family that he would soon rejoin them.
The conversation, which included discussions with Manjeet’s father, Chaudhary (present at the tunnel site), his mother, grandfather Bindra Prasad, and sisters, acted as a balm for the worried family. Shatrohan Lal expressed their happiness and relief, highlighting their faith in the government’s efforts and the engineers working tirelessly to secure the release of the trapped labourers.
Manjeet Chauhan, part of a group of 41 labourers trapped inside Silkyara tunnel, had travelled to Uttarkashi in October for work. While his fellow villagers returned for Diwali celebrations, Manjeet remained behind to collect his pending dues, ultimately finding himself caught in the tunnel. The recent phone call has injected a renewed sense of hope and patience into the challenging situation faced by the trapped labourers and their families.
