Uttarkashi tunnel collapse: ‘Kin glued to TV to keep track of final phase of rescue operation’

UTTARKASHI: I’m both excited and nervous. The feeling is inexplicable, but I don’t want to celebrate too early as it might suppress good luck, says Indrajeet Kumar, a resident of Giridih region in Jharkhand. His younger brother Vishwajeet is trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel.

Excited, yet nervous at the same time about the safe evacuation of those stranded after 11 days, family members of workers are fervently praying there are no glitches in the final phase. They pace nervously outside the tunnel, continuously engaged on their mobile phones, updating their relatives back home about every single move of the rescue teams.

Sudhanshu Shah, brother of Monu Shah, a resident of Khajvan village Bihar, said, “Our family members back home are glued to the TV sets as they keep track of the final moments of the rescue operation.”

On the other hand, back in Kotdwar town in Uttarakhand, 15-year-old Vikas Negi, the younger son of Gabar Singh Negi, is all set to start a party as soon as news of the rescue breaks.

He says, “Our neighbours have gathered at our home to congratulate my mother and maternal grandparents.” He adds, “I plan to host a party for my father, who I’ve heard is a source of motivation for all other trapped persons. But my mother has told me to wait till the good news comes in officially.”


Piyal Bhattacharjee