Hyderabad: The search operation to locate the remaining seven persons trapped inside the partially collapsed Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel in Nagarkurnool district was underway at a rapid pace on Sunday, March 23, officials said.
The process of dewatering and removal of soil was going on continuously at the ‘D1, D2’ spots identified for possible human presence, they added.
The broken parts of the huge Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) which were obstructing excavation at the ‘D1, D2’ spots were being removed, an official statement said.
The muck inside the tunnel was being removed using a water jet and soil was being shifted out using excavators and a conveyor belt, it said.
The search operation has been expedited, except at locations which are considered dangerous inside the tunnel, it said.
Electricity and ventilation have been restored up to the accident site, it said.
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Nagarkurnool district Collector Badavath Santosh, who held a meeting on the search operation, appreciated the personnel of various agencies who have been making relentless efforts to locate the seven missing persons since February 22 when the tunnel collapsed partially, it said.
The teams of NDRF, Telangana SDRF, South Central Railway and state-run miner Singareni Collieries are working continuously, it added.
The body of Gurpreet Singh, a TBM operator, was recovered on March 9 and handed over to his family in Punjab. Seven others remain trapped inside the tunnel.
A total of eight individuals—including engineers and labourers—were trapped in the SLBC project tunnel when a portion of it collapsed on February 22.
On Saturday, the Congress government sanctioned Rs 5 crore for the rescue operation. The government has also given instructions to utilize the funds efficiently without delay in the relief operations and to continue the relief operations at a faster pace.
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Meanwhile, criticising the government for not achieving any progress in the rescue efforts Bharat Rastra Samithi (BRS) Siddipet MLA T Harish Rao demanded the state government to furnish a report on the rescue efforts being taken up till now.
“The family members of the trapped workers are worried whether their loved ones are dead or alive. They are urging the state government to determine that. At least now the government should respond and identify the trapped workers swiftly,” he urged.
(With PTI inputs)
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