The Telangana government on Tuesday deployed robotic technology to assist rescuers in locating the seven workers trapped inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel. A Hyderabad-based company, Anvi Robotics, has been roped in, and an AI-based robotic camera system was deployed at the accident site. Moreover, cadaver dogs were sent in once again to trace the remaining seven workers still trapped under the debris.
Two representatives from Anvi Robotics sent a robotic system into the tunnel using a loco train on Tuesday and installed a communication system near the control office. The robot was deployed to assist in digging at the site identified by cadaver dogs. Manual digging at the tunnel’s end rock was considered risky. The state government decided to proceed with robotic technology after scientists from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) warned that the accident site was too unstable and that attempts to dislodge the debris or slush might trigger another collapse. Rescue harnesses and other necessary equipment have also been deployed. The state government has allocated Rs 4 crore for hiring robotic technology to help in the rescue work. Around 110 rescue workers also entered the tunnel with the robot and cadaver dogs.
The cadaver dogs from Kerala, flown in on a special helicopter along with their handlers, detected the remains of tunnel boring machine (TBM) operator Gurpreet Singh. His body was still stuck in the TBM when it was discovered. However, the seven remaining workers have not been found yet, 17 days after the accident, which occurred on 22 February. The state government has announced Rs 25 lakh as ex gratia to Gurpreet Singh’s next of kin. Special Chief Secretary of the Disaster Management Department Arvind Kumar on Tuesday reviewed the rescue work along with the Nagarkurnool Collector B Santosh and various agencies working at the site to take stock of the rescue efforts.