The rescue operations to save the lives of eight workers trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) Tunnel at Domalapenta are likely to continue for the next two days, and robots will also be deployed, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said.
Speaking to newspersons after visiting the site in SLBC Tunnel on Sunday, he said: “There is no exact trace of the workers who went missing after the mishap. As of now, 11 agencies, including the Indian Army and Navy, are working to rescue the workers. We have directed the teams to uses Robos to save the workers and also prevent any further loss of life in the operations.’‘
Describing the accident as the “most complicated situation and unfortunate,’‘ Reddy said nothing can be said on the fate of the workers as of now and there was a need to support the victims and their families cutting across political affiliations.
“The BRS Government in Telangana from 2014 to 2023 did not complete even two to three km of work, and work stopped for 10 years. The Congress Government had taken up the project prestigiously. The Government is committed to completing the project,’‘ Reddy said.
Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said relief and rescue measures were going on around the clock from the day of the accident. “This was the most tragic and complicated tunnel accident in the history of the country,’‘ the Minister said, adding that the efforts were continuing by 11 agencies, including the Indian Army, Indian Navy, NDRF and SDRF.
“The SLBC project is a boon for Telangana as it could bring water to 30 lakh acres in the State. It is only a temporary setback, and the project works will be continued.
The SLBC tunnel roof collapsed at the 14 km point in the 43.93 km long canal on Saturday morning due to water leakage, trapping the workers inside. Out of 50 workers present in the tunnel at the time of the mishap, 42, including 13 who sustained injuries, rushed out, while eight were trapped.
Earlier, while addressing a public meeting at Wanaparthy, the Chief Minister alleged former chief minister and BRS party president K Chandrasekhar Rao was ‘responsible’ for the accident in SLBC Tunnel, adding the tunnel collapsed due to a halt of construction work during 10 years of BRS Government rule.