Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation was a very difficult mission. (Image: PTI/File)
Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed his gratitude to rescue teams and international experts involved, while also lauding the courage of the 41 workers stuck inside for 17 days
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami thanked the multiple central and state agencies as well as international experts for the successful extraction of 41 trapped workers from inside the collapsed section of the under-construction Silkyara tunnel. But he especially expressed gratitude for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constant support and leadership.
“Disasters have come and gone in the history of independent India but, certainly, this is the first time that a prime minister (Narendra Modi) stood as a guardian and an elder brother to all the labourers and their families,” Dhami told CNN-News18 in an exclusive interview.
“I would like to extend my gratitude to state and central agencies, international experts; I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He would call every day and take stock of the relief operation, not only as the prime minister but also as a guardian,” he added.
Dhami congratulated the “labourer brothers”, who were stuck inside for 17 days. “Whenever I communicated with them, they were supportive and would, in fact, tell us that they are fine and confident. Finally, with God’s grace and under the leadership of the PM, the operation succeeded,” he added.
Dhami further said the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation was “very difficult”. “There were ups and downs during the rescue operation and, initially, we thought that the debris will be cleared by the machines. When all those attempts didn’t work, the auger (drilling) machine encountered a glitch and got stuck at 21 metres,” he said.
He described November 16 as a “nightmare” when the auger machine failed; it glitched again at 34 metres and was completely damaged at 48 metres. The chief minister said this a difficult phase resulting in the operation being overstretched.
The chief minister said the central government has already ordered the safety audit for all tunnel projects in India. “We have also decided to do a safety audit of other tunnel projects in the state (the Karnprayag railway project passes through a series of tunnels),” he said.
Uttarakhand has now witnessed two major disasters this year – the Joshimath incident and now the tunnel collapse. To this, Dhami said there is one reason behind any disaster. “I would underline that in such critical times, everything or every stakeholder should align and work in tandem,” he said.
Asked about who should get the credit for the successful rescue operation, the CM said every single person has played a role. “Thanks to officials, experts, workers and, especially, PM Narendra Modi. There were a lot of hurdles and, hence, it took so much time. It was a very difficult rescue operation. The PM took a personal interest in the rescue operation and monitored the situation,” he said.
Dhami also said the PM extended all support and the rescue mission was successfully conducted under his leadership. “In independent India, it was for the first time that a PM took so much personal interest in the rescue operation. When I first spoke to the trapped workers, they all said they were fine and showed trust in PM Modi and the local administration,” he added.
He said the workers started losing hope when the mission started facing hurdles one after the other, but he spoke to them to keep their morale high. “All the workers are at AIIMS Rishikesh, and experts are taking care of them. They are all doing fine,” he added.
Source: News18