SLBC tunnel mishap: Special officer appointed to monitor rescue operations

Revanth Reddy wants Telangana administration to obtain necessary clearances from the Centre to continue the search and salvage operations

Hyderabad: The SLBC rescue operations, which have been in progress for over a month now, would continue further. The rescue agencies that have been carrying out the operations they have been tasked with despite no headway, have been looking for a fresh direction from the State government as well as the departmental heads.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who had a review on the progress of the operations in the tunnel on Monday, wanted the rescue agencies to continue the search and salvage operations. He wanted the State administration to obtain necessary clearances from the Centre to continue the operations in the tunnel. He also directed Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumari to appoint an IAS officer to monitor the rescue operations by coordinating with all the agencies concerned.

---

Accordingly, senior IAS officer Sivashankar Lotheti has been tasked with the responsibility. Special Chief Secretary (Disaster Management) Arvind Kumar and officials heading the teams from the Indian Army, Navy and the NDRF appraised the Chief Minister on the progress during the month-long operations.

The rescue agencies are facing constraints that continue to hamper progress. They have been drawing the attention of the government to logistical, environmental and bureaucratic challenges.

The SLBC tunnel collapse, occurring 14 kilometres inside the 43.93-kilometre structure, has presented a complex scenario. Agencies like the NDRF and specialised teams, including rathole miners and robotic experts, are working against all odds. Heavy silt, water seepage and a damaged tunnel boring machine (TBM) hampered their works. These ground factors have slowed debris removal, with an estimated 10,000 cubic metres of slush obstructing access.

The initial breakdown of the conveyor belt, recently repaired, further delayed efforts, while water accumulation from rock faults added to their issues.