Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday met the Uttar Pradesh workers, who were rescue from the Silkyara Tunnel in Uttarakhand, along with their families, after their return to the state.

During the meeting at his official residence, the chief minister inquired about their well-being and their experience during the trying time when they were trapped in the tunnel.

He said, “I am happy that all the labourers from Uttar Pradesh trapped in the tunnel have safely returned and are now going back to their homes. The state government is standing with its people in every difficult time and will continue to do so.”

During the interaction, Yogi praised the courage and patience of all the labourers. He honoured them with shawls on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and also provided them with sweets and gifts.

Notably, a total of eight labourers from the state were trapped inside the tunnel in Uttarkashi. They were rescued after spending 16 days trapped inside the tunnel. Among them, six were from Shravasti (Ankit, Ram Milan, Satyadev, Santosh, Jayprakash, and Ram Sundar), and one each from Lakhimpur Kheri (Manjeet) and Mirzapur (Akhilesh Kumar).

During their ordeal, a nodal officer was appointed by the state government on the CM’s directives to access the real-time information about these labourers and keep their families updated about the situation on day-to-day basis. The chief minister himself closely monitored the situation throughout.

During the meeting, one of the labourers recounted that at one point they realised that there was some damage to the oxygen pipe. As they proceeded further, they saw debris coming from the front which shattered their courage.

The labourer explained said the place they were trapped had a tunnel length of 2.5 kilometers and a width of 14 meters. There was enough oxygen inside the tunnel for their survival for only two to three days. But the rest the company and the government ensured steady supply of the oxygen for the rest of the days.

He further said that if the supply of food, water, and oxygen from outside had stopped, their lives would have been in danger. The labourer highlighted that both the company and the government ensured that there was no power outage inside the tunnel.

When an officer from the state government contacted them, they realised that not only the Indian and the Uttarakhand government but also the government of their home state (Uttar Pradesh) was determined to rescue them, he added.

During the conversation, the labourers expressed their gratitude for the efforts made by the UP government for their rescue.

Chief Minister Yogi inquired about the duration of their work in the tunnel in Uttarakhand. He also engaged their families in discussions for an insight into their current situation.

Jay Prakash from Shravasti described the meeting with CM Yogi as a great experience. The way he boosted their morale was profoundly motivating.

He shared that the initial days inside the tunnel after the incident was incredibly challenging, but as they became aware of the collective efforts outside to rescue them, their hope was strengthened.

Manjeet from Lakhimpur Kheri called the meeting very pleasant and a huge honour. He never were thought he would have the opportunity to meet CM Yogi one day. Akhilesh Kumar from Mirzapur expressed his happiness with the efforts made by the Yogi Government for their safe return.