After rescue, what next for 41 workers? Uttarakhand CM explains

After 17 days of rescue efforts, trapped workers were successfully evacuated on Tuesday, with rat-hole miners playing crucial role in final phase of operation.

After the triumphant rescue of 41 trapped workers from the Uttarakhand tunnel on Tuesday, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all of them will be given a comprehensive medical supervision and facilities. Addressing the media after the conclusion of the rescue operation, Dhami stressed that these measures were necessary due to the sudden transition the workers underwent from their challenging environment to safety. Following 17 days of tough rescue efforts involving multiple agencies, the trapped workers were successfully evacuated, with rat-hole miners playing a crucial role in the final phase of the operation.

Chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami with one of the rescued workers.(HT)

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Dhami, accompanied by Union minister V K Singh, greeted the workers as they were brought out by National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel via a steel chute lining a 60-meter passage. Dhami highlighted that the evacuation prioritised the youngest labourers, affirming their fitness and independent movement through the passage.

"They got scared in the initial stages but as the communication was established, they all got the confidence that they will be taken out at any cost. The youngest one among the trapped workers were brought out first and the team leader came out last," Dhami said.

Around 8 pm, an ambulance carried the first of the 41 workers out of the tunnel, following the rat-hole-mining experts' successful clearance of the last debris stretch.

The chief minister extended his thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “unwavering support and encouragement throughout the entire rescue operation”.

Here's what's next for the 41 workers after the rescue

-Chief minister Dhami assured that all the workers rescued on Tuesday were in good health, showing no signs of critical conditions.

-Dhami further emphasised the need for medical examinations for the workers considering the challenging environment they just emerged from. He confirmed that arrangements would be made for their treatment until they return home.

-After the rescue operation came to an end, ambulances stationed at the tunnel transported the workers to a community health center where a specialised 41-bed ward had been prepared.

-The chief minister announced a monetary grant of ₹1 lakh for each of the 41 construction workers. He also pledged to reconstruct the Baukhnag temple and review the ongoing tunnel projects in the state.

-Dhami mentioned that the workers' family members had been relocated to Chinyalisaur, where the state government would arrange for their convenient transportation back home.

-Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on the successful evacuation on Tuesday. He inquired about the health check-ups and safe transportation plans for the workers returning to their respective states.

-The chief minister updated the prime minister on the workers' immediate health check-ups conducted at the hospital in Chinyalisaur, ensuring their well-being post-rescue.