CM Yogi praises UP workers on their safe return from Silkyara tunnel

Dec 01, 2023

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 1 : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met the workers of Uttar Pradesh trapped in the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand and their families after their safe return. During this meeting at his official residence, he inquired about their well-being and spoke to them about their experiences during the challenging time when they were trapped in the tunnel.
CM Yogi said, "I am happy that all the labourers from Uttar Pradesh trapped in the tunnel incident have safely returned and are now going back to their homes. The state government is standing with its people in every difficult time and will continue to do so."
During this interaction, CM Yogi praised the courage and patience of all the labourers. He honoured them with shawls on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and also provided them with sweets and gifts.
Notably, a total of eight labourers from Uttar Pradesh were trapped among 41 workers in the tunnel collapse that happened in Uttarkashi. After spending 16 days in the tunnel, they were rescued on the 17th day. Among them, six were from Shravasti (Ankit, Ram Milan, Satyadev, Santosh, Jayprakash, and Ram Sundar), one from Lakhimpur Kheri (Manjeet), and one from Mirzapur (Akhilesh Kumar).
On CM Yogi's directives, a nodal officer was appointed by the state government for real-time information about these laborers, and their families were updated daily about their situation. According to the officials, the Chief Minister himself monitored the situation closely.
Labourers informed CM about the difficult time spent in the tunnel.
During this meeting, one of the labourers mentioned that when the incident occurred, they realised that there was some damage to the oxygen pipe.
As they proceeded further, they saw debris coming from the front, and their courage shattered.
The labourer explained that the place where they were trapped had a tunnel length of 2.5 kilometres and a width of 14 metres. There was enough oxygen in the tunnel for them to survive for two to three days, and the rest of the assistance was provided by the company and the government.
He went on to say that if the supply of food, water, and oxygen from outside had stopped, their lives would have been in danger. The labourer highlighted that both the company and the government ensured that there was no power outage inside the tunnel.
When an officer from the state government contacted them, they realised that not only the Indian government and the Uttarakhand government but also the government of their home state (Uttar Pradesh) was determined to rescue them, the labourer added.
During the conversation, the labourers also expressed gratitude for the efforts made by the UP government. Chief Minister Yogi inquired about the duration of their work in the tunnel in Uttarakhand. Additionally, he engaged in discussions with the families of the labourers to gain insights into their current situation.