Since the state was created in 2014, the BRS has always been the pre-eminent political force, winning both assembly polls and most seats in the 2019 LS polls

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Telangana Election: Get Latest News on Telangana Assembly Election along with Updates on Schedule and Result Date | Hindustan Times 

Since the state was created in 2014, the BRS has always been the pre-eminent political force, winning both assembly polls and most seats in the 2019 LS polls 

The operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside an Uttarakhand tunnel for more than two weeks now has been a story of new challenges at every corner and rescue teams tweaking their plans to meet them. The past 16 days have seen government authorities constantly fine-tune their strategies and find new approaches to bring out the men at the earliest. Rescue teams are simultaneously focusing on ensuring their physical and mental well-being as the operation drags on.

Here’s a look at the multiple plans in action now

“Augering Is Finished”

Manual drilling at the Uttarkashi site is set to begin today after an auger drill machine manufactured in the US got stuck in the debris. The drill — a corkscrew like-device with a rotary blade at the front-end — had drilled through more than 46 metres of debris. As the machine drilled through, pipes were pushed in to create an escape passage. A couple of days back, it appeared that the operation would be completed soon, but snags in the drill dashed hopes. About 14-odd metres of drilling was left when the machine’s blade got stuck in the debris and the drill broke down. International tunnel expert Arnold Dix, who is at the site, said the auger machine was “busted”. “Augering is finished… the auger is broken, destructed,” he told the media. Thereafter, a specialised gas cutter was flown in from Hyderabad to cut and remove the parts of the auger drill stuck in the debris so that manual drilling could begin. The plasma cutter completed its task this morning.

Manual Drilling

With the 25-tonne auger machine breaking down, rescue teams decided to pursue multiple strategies simultaneously. Manual drilling is aimed at completing the task the auger drill started. A team of 11 has been flown in from Delhi for this task. These include six specialists and five more in reserve. Rescue teams said they will go inside the 800 mm pipe to remove the debris manually. This method involves two-three drillers entering the pipe and using hand-held tools to clear the debris blocking the pipe’s way. The waste generated during the digging is sent out through wheeled vessels. One of the specialists told news agency ANI. “A shovel and other specialist tools will be used. For oxygen, we will take along a blower with us.”

Manual drilling is a tiring task and the diggers take turns. These professionals are also called rat miners for their rat-like skill in boring. According to rescue teams, these professionals are skilled in cutting through metal barriers too. Manual drilling method is set to begin today. Rescue teams at the site said this morning that the gas cutters used to remove parts of the auger drill from the debris had generated heat inside the pipe and they were waiting for it to cool down before manual drilling starts.

Vertical Drilling

With the horizontal drilling operation facing repeated hurdles, rescue teams have put in action a vertical drilling plan. This plan involves drilling horizontally from a point about 300 metres from the mouth of the tunnel and then drilling vertically down about 86 metres. Former chief of Border Roads Organisation Harpal Singh, who is at the site, has said 31 metres of drilling has been completed. A big challenge in the vertical drilling method is how to drill through the crust or the roof of the tunnel. Rescue teams plan to drill horizontally for a short distance once they reach the crust, and then drill through it to ensure that the workers trapped beneath it are not injured.

The vertical drilling method was put into action yesterday by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, a public sector undertaking involved in hydroelectric power generation. This method has progressed smoothly so far. The team drilling through the mountain plans to pull up the 41 labourers using a harness machine once it reaches them. According to National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited, the drilling work is expected to be completed by November 30.

The Other Methods

Rescue teams have also started an operation to reach the trapped workers through the other end of the tunnel from Barkot. But that is a method that is going to take a long time. The rescuers have to drill through nearly 480 metres. Four blasts were carried out yesterday to help them progress. Only 10 metres have been covered so far. There is another plan that involves building a mini tunnel along the left side of the tunnel. This mini tunnel will be perpendicular to the Silkyara tunnel, and the plan is to rescue the trapped workers through it. According to sources, this perpendicular mini tunnel will be 180 metres long, and it will take another 10 to 15 days to be built. Work on this is expected to begin tomorrow.

How Are The Workers?

As the rescue operation drags on, there is concern over the mental and physical condition of the workers. While they are now receiving food and other essential supplies through a pipe pushed through the debris, their mental state remains a cause for worry. Over the past 16 days, they have gone through the trauma of being stuck inside a tunnel, the fear that help may not reach them, some moments of hope when it appeared that they will soon be out and a return to uncertainty on when they will see light at the end of the tunnel. Rescue teams are aware that the mental state of the workers will play a crucial role in keeping them fine till the end of this long-drawn operation. They have now roped Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited to provide the trapped workers with a landline connection so that they can talk to their families.

BSNL official Kundan said they are in the process of sending a small landline phone to the trapped workers through the pipe. “Through this, they will be able to talk directly to their families,” he said, according to news agency ANI. BSNL, he said, has set up a small telephone exchange at the tunnel site for this purpose.

Some mobile phones have also been sent through the pipe so that the trapped workers can play video games to distract themselves from the harrowing wait to be rescued. Rescue teams said there are plans to provide Wi-Fi connectivity because there is no cellphone network inside the tunnel. Board games have also been sent through the pipe.

The Weather Factor

Weather reports have predicted light rain at the tunnel rescue site this evening. The temperature at the site has also dropped to as low as 4 degrees Celsius. While this could create complications in the rescue operation, the teams working on the ground said they are prepared to deal with the challenge. A report in Reuters quoted Mahmood Ahmad, managing director of NHIDCL, as saying that the rescue workers are “trained in working in every situation, so that’s not a worry for us”.

A group of Khalistani protesters heckled Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Indian Ambassador to the US, at a New York gurdwara yesterday. Mr Sandhu was visited Hicksville Gurdwara in Long Island on the occasion of Gurpurab when the protesters surrounded him and started shouting.

They accused him of plotting the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and also conspiring to get another terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun murdered.

A video of the exchange between Mr Sandhu and the Khalistani protesters has now gone viral. The video starts with the envoy telling the protesters that he is visiting the gurdwara for seva (service).

A protester is heard shouting in Punjabi, “You are responsible for the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. You plotted to kill Pannun.”

Others in the video are seen trying to defuse the situation. The protesters follow Mr Sandhu and are heard asking, “Why don’t you answer?”

Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with basless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign.

Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused… pic.twitter.com/JW5nqMQSxO

— RP Singh National Spokesperson BJP (@rpsinghkhalsa) November 27, 2023

“Khalistanies tried to heckle Indian Ambassador @SandhuTaranjitS with baseless Questions for his role in the failed plot to assassinate Gurpatwant, (SFJ) and Khalistan Referendum campaign,” BJP’s national spokesperson RP Singh wrote in a video post on X.

Mr Singh said the protest was led by Himmat Singh. “Himmat Singh who led the pro Khalistanies at Hicksville Gurdwara in New York also accused ambassador Sandhu for India’s role in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was President of Surrey Gurdwara and the coordinator for Canadian Chapter of the Khalistan Referendum.”

Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, & equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all. pic.twitter.com/i45M2TuSdf

— Taranjit Singh Sandhu (@SandhuTaranjitS) November 27, 2023

Mr Sandhu later posted on X about his visit to the gurdwara but did not mention the heckling he faced. “Privileged to join the local Sangat, including from Afghanistan, at Guru Nanak Darbar of Long Island in celebrating Gurpurab- listened to Kirtan, spoke about Guru Nanak’s everlasting message of togetherness, unity, and equality, partook langar, and sought blessings for all,” he wrote.

Khalistani terrorist Nijjar was shot dead by masked men at a parking lot in Canada’s British Columbia. Months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the role of Indian agents in the killing, sparking a massive diplomatic row. India has trashed the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”. In recent remarks, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said India is not ruling out an investigation but wants Canada to provide evidence backing its allegations.

Earlier this month, Financial Times reported that US authorities had thwarted a conspiracy to kill Pannun, leader of Khalistani organisation Sikhs for Justice, on American soil. Asked about the report, the White House said the US is “treating a reported plot to kill a Sikh separatist on American soil with utmost seriousness” and has raised the issue with the Indian government “at the senior-most levels”. White House spokesperson Adrienne Watson said Indian authorities had “expressed surprise and concern” in the matter and “stated that activity of this nature was not their policy”.

Responding to questions, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told the media, “India takes such inputs seriously since it impinges on our own national security interests as well. Issues in the context of US inputs are already being examined by relevant departments.”