Hyderabad: As rescue efforts are underway to retrieve workers trapped after the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) Tunnel collapsed in Nagarkurnool district, Telangana tourism minister Jupally Krishna Rao on Friday, February 28 said that only a miracle can save the workers.
““I have personally visited the spot and as far as I know, 100 percent there is no chance. It is my expectation and opinion. Technical experts might have other opinions,” said the minister at a press conference in Hyderabad.
He further said that the rescue operations will continue for two more days adding that the company, which was executing the tunnel works was on alert.
“Had the company representatives not sensed trouble early and alerted the workers, nearly 40 persons would have died in the incident,” he remarked. Rao represents Kollapur constituency from Nagarkurnool district where the SLBC tunnel collapsed on February 22.
The minister criticised the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leaders for allegedly politicising the issue. “The BRS is trying to derive political mileage by raking up a controversy from a natural calamity,” he remarked.
“Why did the BRS government keep the SLBC project pending for 10 years. Why did the BRS government dig up 200 meters in the tunnel and leave the works midway,” the minister questioned.
Rao said tha the BRS doesn’t have any moral rights to question the Telangana government over the SLBC tunnel collapse.
Concrete plan in place to ensure safety of rescuers
On Thursday, Telangana irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy said that there is a concrete plan in place to ensure the safety of the rescuers in the SLBC tunnel in Nagarkurnool.
“The assessment yesterday was that the people going in to rescue and bring out the survivors would themselves be at great risk. Yesterday and today, we have assessed the situation thoroughly and devised clear strategies to minimise risk for the rescuers and move forward efficiently. We now have a well-defined plan, and we are accelerating the rescue and relief operations with greater speed,” he said.
Reddy asserted that the rescue would be completed within two days and that new strategies were being implemented to mitigate challenges inside the tunnel. “Based on field inspections conducted over the last two days, we have made key decisions, and we are now going ahead with them. We are also exploring alternate access routes, including approaching from the side and the main exit, to expedite the rescue,” he added.
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