UTTARKASHI/ DEHRADUN: The endoscopic camera that was being pushed through the newly drilled six-inch pipeline in the collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Silkyara on Tuesday abruptly stopped a foot and a half behind the opening of the pipe at the other end, prompting people outside to holler through a megaphone: “Khincho, khincho (pull, pull)”.

As one of the trapped workers tugged at the camera from within the tunnel and came in front of it, a cry went out from a group of anxious colleagues out in the open: “Arre, yeh to apna Saba (Ahmed) hai”.One more person was seen before the camera zoomed out to the larger group — men wearing helmets — expectant, happy yet unsure what lay ahead.

The freshly established “lifeline” served as a vital communication link with the workers — from Jharkhand, Bengal, Odisha, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Himachal Pradesh.An ingenious solution involving a “special tray”, utilising a 4-inch drain pipe and ropes provided by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), has been devised to send hot food to the workers.National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), which is overseeing the entire rescue operation that has seen several setbacks the past week, expressed optimism.

Its director Anshu Manish Khalkho said, “The 6-inch additional lifeline pipe has been cleaned, and we are going to try to send hot, cooked meals.

We have already sent them fruits and salt, which they specifically asked for.”Silkyara Tunnel Collapse: Rescue to go “with full force”, lifeline pipe reaches to trapped workersOn the main front, the American auger machine, which broke down on November 16, has resumed operation with a “slight strategic change”.

Rescue experts have now decided to push 800mm pipes into the already drilled 900mm steel pipes telescopically to “provide additional support” to the endeavour.Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited (SJVNL), responsible for vertical drilling from the hillock above the tunnel, is gearing up for action, which is part of the “five-pronged plan”.

The machine required for it arrived on Tuesday and installation is currently underway.

NHIDCL, the state-run company in charge of the 4.5km-long Silkyara-Barkot tunnel project, said additional heavy machines are being mobilised from Gujarat and Odisha.Simultaneously, Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC) has initiated the drilling of another rescue tunnel, spanning 480 metres from the Barkot end.

Utilsing the drill and blast method, THDC has successfully excavated a 6.5-metre-long drift.Amid the ongoing efforts, Arnold Dix, president of the Geneva-based International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association, who is there at the Silkyara site to lend his expertise, said, “We are knocking on the doors from five places, and I don't know which door will open first, from where these workers will come out.

But I am sure we are going to get these men out.”WatchUttarkashi rescue Ops: Efforts underway to rescue trapped 41 workers, says NDMA Official