SLBC Tunnel Tragedy: National teams including Indian Army withdrawn

Operations at the tunnel have been halted, leaving the mission unfinished and the fate of six missing workers uncertain. Approximately 120 personnel from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRA) are still engaged in the final stages of the operations.

Hyderabad: The national agencies including the specialized teams drafted from the Indian Army and Navy, who were part of a 64 day long rescue mission in the SLBC tunnel, were withdrawn due to escalating border tensions and the terror attack in Pahalgam.

The operations at the tunnel have come to a standstill, leaving the mission incomplete and the fate of six missing workers shrouded in mystery. Around 120 personnel from Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRA) continue the wrap-up operations.

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For over two months, debris clearance has been carried out tirelessly. The mangled remains of the tunnel boring machine, wrecked by the roof collapse, are still being extracted and shifted to a scrap yard outside the tunnel.

The most critical part of the mission that remained unresolved is the task of addressing the massive sludge and boulders that slipped into the tunnel during the collapse. A 43-meter stretch near the tunnel’s end has been sealed off and declared a “no-go zone.

The Chief Minister, A Revanth Reddy, on his return from a tour of Japan, is expected to review the situation and make a decision on the future of this stretch. The entire official machinery spearheading the operations is waiting for his call.

Expert panel constituted

To determine the next steps, a technical committee of 13 members has been tasked with examining the situation. An expert committee, formed on Friday, will provide recommendations by May 5. Their evaluation will focus on key issues, including whether to excavate the 43-meter stretch.

It will also decide on the mode of excavation, and measures to address shear zones identified in the remaining stretch of the tunnel yet to be completed. The work on the 9 kilometers stretch still left out in the 44 km tunnel project is viewed as the most daunting task About 9.550 km needs to be dug from the Srisailam reservoir side as well as the Dindi Reservoir side to give water to the targeted ayacut of four lakh acres.