As India led a historic operation, rescuing 41 workers from a tunnel in Uttarkashi after 17 days on Tuesday night, former advisor to prime minister Bhaskar Khulbe told News18 “there were challenges, but we finally succeeded. It is an achievement of all Indians… the feeling is great”.
Khulbe said all 41 workers are “hale and hearty, eager to go back home”. The 41 workers were trapped in an under construction road tunnel at Silkyara site in Uttarakhand for over two weeks. The tunnel, part of the Centre’s ambitious Char Dham project, collapsed due to a landslide on November 12.
Khulbe told News18 that he was constantly in touch with PMO about the operation. Principle secretary Pramod Kumar Mishra was at the site, and “guided the team” about the mission.
The former advisor mentioned the government’s role and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership for working “calmly, swiftly and efficiently” in the rescue mission.
PM Modi spoke with the workers over phone for 15 minutes after their rescue. He congratulated them and said, “Kedarnath baba aur Badrinath ji ki kripa thi. Seventeen days is a long time. Each one of you motivated each other. I took regular updates. Our PMO officer had too camped at the spot.”
Modi also told the workers, “You families were very worried. All of India was concerned. All your families showed lot of patience and cooperated with us. Doctors have told me all of you are medically fine.”
The rescued workers thanked the Uttarakhand government and chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who “remained in regular contact” with them. “The CM was there to greet us along with Union minister VK Singh when we came out,” they added.
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