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Uttarakhand CM announces Rs. 50,000 for rescuers who evacuated 41 workers
Workers rescued from Silkyara tunnel were airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh on Wednesday via Chinook helicopter after initial check-ups at Chinyalisaur hospital.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced a cash incentive of Rs. 50,000 for all personnel involved in the Silkyara Tunnel rescue operation, where 41 trapped workers were successfully evacuated on Tuesday. Earlier that day, Dhami had also declared a financial aid of Rs. 1 lakh for each worker rescued after being trapped for 17 days due to a partial collapse in the tunnel.
"The workers will be sent to AIIMS, Rishikesh, and there they will undergo thorough examinations once. The cheques of Rs. 1 lakh, which I had announced for the trapped workers, have also been provided to them. Additionally, the rescue workers who ventured inside the tunnel and participated in the digging will also receive a reward of Rs. 50,000 from the state government," Dhami was quoted as saying by ANI on Wednesday.
The chief minister also announced a reward of Rs. 50,000 for each rat-hole mining expert involved in the rescue operation.
"I am no less happy about their (workers) evacuation than their families. My Diwali, Igas or Dev Deepavali came yesterday as they were evacuated," the chief minister told to PTI earlier.
Rescued workers airlifted to AIIMS Rishikesh
Workers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel were airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh on Wednesday via Chinook helicopter after their initial check-ups at Chinyalisaur hospital post-evacuation.
News agency PTI quoted an AIIMS-Rishikesh official saying that the workers would be transferred to the trauma ward for preliminary assessments before undergoing detailed health examinations in the disaster ward. Mental health assessments are also scheduled, ensuring comprehensive observation and care. With a capacity of 100 beds, the disaster ward is fully equipped to accommodate the evacuated workers.
Arrangements have been made to accommodate the workers' relatives, facilitating their travel to Rishikesh via buses.
After a 17-day tussle, the workers were finally rescued
Following the collapse of a section of the under-construction tunnel on the Char Dham route in Uttarakhand on November 12, 41 workers were trapped.
Despite attempts to use advanced drilling techniques, such as auger horizontal drilling, the machines encountered constant glitches due to debris, impeding their reach to the trapped section. The rescue team had to resort to deploying rat-hole miners alongside vertical drilling to clear the final 12 meters of debris, enabling access to the trapped workers.
Subsequently, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) members joined the operation, leading the efforts to extract the trapped workers from the tunnel.
(With inputs from agencies)
