Uttarkashi, Nov 27: Early on Monday, the auger machine’s remaining components that had become embedded in the debris at Silkyara Tunnel—the site of 41 labourers’ 15-day ordeal—were extracted. At this point, manual drilling will begin at the tunnel to create a way out for the stranded workers. To assess the rescue effort, Principal Secretary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi P K Mishra and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand S S Sandhu will visit Silkyara on Monday. The 25-ton auger drill, which resembles a corkscrew and has a rotating blade at the front end, became stuck Friday night while drilling through the debris, forcing officials to give up on the machine. On Sunday night, portions of the auger were allowed to be removed from an area measuring 8.15 metres. To allow for manual drilling and pipe pushing, which is the last stage with about 12 metres remaining, the machine’s shaft and fins had to be fully removed from the debris.
