 "Uttarakhand tunnel collapse: Rescue team to start drilling at 11 am today")
Rescue operations at the Silkyara tunnel collapse site have intensified, where 41 workers have been trapped since November 12.
Former advisor to the Prime Minister's Office, Bhaskar Khulbe, said that the drilling process will start at 11 am on Friday. "We will start drilling by 11 am. The drilling will resume on Friday as the technical snag has been fixed," Khulbe said.
He further added, "The situation is much better now. Last night, we had to work on two things. First, we had to revamp the platform of the machine... Parsons Company had done the ground penetration radar through which we got to know that for the next five metre, there was no metallic obstruction. This means that our drilling should be smooth. When we were taking out the debris, we got two mangled pipes..."
International tunnelling expert Arnold Dix said that the broken auger machine has been fixed and will be used on Friday. "We are only just metres away from finding passage to have the men back..."
On Thursday, the rescue operation was stopped due to a technical snag in a drilling machine. The rescuers have undertaken drilling up to 46.8 metres in the tunnel. The rescuers have placed broad pipes up to a depth of 45 metres through the debris.
Sources said that the obstructions encountered in drilling occurred as a metal frame came crashing down with the collapse of the tunnel roof.
A statement issued by Uttarakhand Chief Minister's Office stated that on Wednesday, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel entered the tunnel. It also stated that an ambulance had been deployed inside the tunnel and a team of doctors had also been put on stand-by.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways stated that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will undertake a safety audit of all 29 under-construction tunnels across the country to ensure safety and adherence to the highest quality standards.