Rescuers at the collapsed Barkot-Silkyara tunnel on Yamunotri Highway claimed on Monday they had succeeded in making a pipeline pathway to deliver larger and hard food packets to the 41 workers trapped for nearly nine days with minimum basic amenities.
So far, only small packets of dry fruits were being sent through a water pipeline that’s also being used for oxygen supply.
Rescue officials said they were able to drill and create a parallel six inch diameter pipeline path to send ‘larger and healthy’ food packets to the stranded workers inside the tunnel.
“This is the first breakthrough we were expecting for the past nine days but because of some hurdles, big and small, we were not able to achieve it. Now we have succeeded creating a pathway across the debris and inserting six inch diameter pipe in it. It is 53 meters pipeline on the other end. Now, our first job is to contact workers to ensure that pipeline is free of obstacle. After this food and needed medicines will be provided to the workers through this pipeline” said Anshu Manish Khalko, director NHIDCL camping at the rescue site for nearly seven days.
Colonel Patil whose army construction team was crucial in making the pipeline pathway said, “This is a lifeline food pipeline. Now, we can send food, mobiles and chargers through this. We can also easily talk to them. A list of food items has been prepared with the help of doctor’s advice. Food packets as recommended by the doctor are being prepared. Special fabricated trays are also being readied by our team and NDRF to send packets through the pipe. We will send them apple pieces, bananas, dalia and khichdi.”
“Our first priority is to send hard food to the trapped workers and also get it stocked,” he added.