- Thursday, December 26, 2024
The PM posted a message on X on November 28, hours after the workers were rescued, saluting both the workers and the rescue teams.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN prime minister Narendra Modi spoke over the telephone to the workers who were rescued from inside a collapsed under-construction tunnel in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand late on Tuesday (28) night hours after they were brought out.
All the workers, who remained confined behind the debris for 17 days, were present in a room and spoke to the prime minister.
Modi wished the workers and enquired about their health. The workers told the PM that they did all they could to keep their spirits high, including taking morning walk and practising yoga. They also thanked Modi and Pushkar Singh Dhami, the chief minister of Uttarakhand who was personally present on the site and welcomed the workers as they came out besides the rescue teams that worked round the clock to ensure their safety.
Read: Gabbar Singh kept his trapped colleagues’ spirit high and was the last to come out
The prime minister came up with a long post on X soon after the mission came to a happy conclusion. He said in Hindi, “The success of the rescue operation of our labor brothers in Uttarkashi is making everyone emotional.
उत्तरकाशी में हमारे श्रमिक भाइयों के रेस्क्यू ऑपरेशन की सफलता हर किसी को भावुक कर देने वाली है।
टनल में जो साथी फंसे हुए थे, उनसे मैं कहना चाहता हूं कि आपका साहस और धैर्य हर किसी को प्रेरित कर रहा है। मैं आप सभी की कुशलता और उत्तम स्वास्थ्य की कामना करता हूं।
यह अत्यंत…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 28, 2023
“I want to say to the friends who were trapped in the tunnel that your courage and patience is inspiring everyone. I wish you all well and good health.
Read: How global media reacted to India’s successful tunnel rescue mission
“It is a matter of great satisfaction that after a long wait these friends of ours will now meet their loved ones. The patience and courage that all these families have shown in this challenging time cannot be appreciated enough.
“I also salute the spirit of all the people associated with this rescue operation. His bravery and determination have given new life to our labor brothers. Everyone involved in this mission has set an amazing example of humanity and teamwork.”
The post was viewed 2.7 million times at the time of writing this post.
The tunnel, which is part of an ambitious project to connect some of India’s popular pilgrimage centres in Uttarakhand, collapsed on November 12 when India was celebrating Diwali.
A part of the under-construction tunnel, which is part of the ambitious Char Dham project, collapsed on November 12.
The rescue mission, which also saw the presence of international tunneling expert Arnold Dix and teams from countries such as Thailand and Norway, faced several challenges and even saw the collapse of an American auger machine. The authorities then decided to resort to the banned rat-hole mining tactic to reach the trapped workers who they have been providing with food, water, medicine and psychological support.
The workers were in good health but were still flown to the elite AIIMS hospital in Rishikesh in a Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force for further check-up.
