Rescued workers to be airlifted to AIIMS-Rishikesh on Wednesday

After 41 workers were rescued from the Uttarkashi's Silkyara Tunnel on Tuesday, National Disaster Management Authority member Lt Gen (Rtd) Syed Ata Hasnain said that a very operational, professional and humanistic approach was adopted by the Centre which led to the success of the rescue operations.

Speaking to ANI, Lt Gen Hasnain said, "There were every technology of the world and all advisors who played such an important role in holding our hand, giving confidence to the people on the ground and offering their advice and very importantly all agencies were working together and their lines were open. A lot of people went to their ground and offered services."

"So I think, a very operational, professional, humanistic approach was adopted by the fovernment of India which led to success," he added.

The NDMA member further stated that the health conditions of the rescued workers will be monitored for the next 48 to 72 hours.

"Now they will be managed. In the last 1-2 hours, the NDRF has led the operation. They went and brought these workers out. Before that Rat miners and army engineers were working. At every phase of this operation, there have been different agencies going in and doing specialized work," Hasnain said.

"I am told that now at 60 to 80 meters away from the site of the collapse, within the opening of the tunnel, there is an 8-bed hospital which has been created there, and all of them are coming. Their medical checkups are being done. Individually these vehicles (ambulances) are being marched off and sent to the district hospital which is 30 km away and is just incidentally next to the airfield where a Chinook helicopter is also parked that will be available in the morning if the doctors decide that all 41 workers can be held together in that hospital," he added.

He further informed that it is likely that two sorties will be conducted from Chinook Helicopter to move the rescued workers to AIIMS Rishikesh for further monitoring.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday) probably in two sorties, the Chinook helicopter will be able to move all of them to AIIMS Rishikesh and they will probably be kept for about 48 to 72 hours under observation to make sure that there's nothing secondary that emerges after they have come out from this confinement for the last 17 days," he said.

NDMA member further emphasized the important role played by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"India has achieved this tremendous achievement under the leadership of our prime minister and the various organisations that he leads, the PMO itself, from where his principal secretary has been leading the efforts, who has been on the ground himself and spoken to the workers at some time also gone to each and every site of the options which were being pursued by all the disaster management authorities at that particular time. The only message that needs to be realized and communicated is, that this has been all of the government and all of India's operation," he said.

Commending media for its role in the depiction of incidents and playing a positive impact, Ata Hasnain said, "I compliment the Indian media. I don't think the media in India has displayed this kind of propensity towards utter maturity. It is a marvellous moment for all of us."

He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi experience in Gujarat as chief minister helped enormously in this difficult operation.

"From feedback, and direction to monitoring, his experience in his Gujarat tenure when the earthquake happened. All legal frameworks related to disaster management was implemented in Gujarat before the Disaster Management Act came into effect. His experience played an important role," he said.

After tireless efforts of rescuers which continued for 16 days, all 41 trapped workers were evacuated successfully from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami met the workers who have been rescued along with Union Minister of State General (Retd) VK Singh.

Earlier a portion of the tunnel caved in on November 12, the debris falling in the 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel, trapping 41 labourers inside the under-construction structure.