Removal of debris from SLBC tunnel gains pace with extended conveyor belt

Rescue operation at SLBC tunnel gains momentum with debris removal and extension of conveyor belt, ensuring worker safety.

HYDERABAD

The removal of boulders, debris and parts of the tunnel boring machine (TBM) from the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel has gained momentum with the extension of conveyor belt for 100 more metres, till 13.730 km from the mouth.

According to officials, shifting the debris picked up pace on Friday (April 4, 2025), the 42nd day of the rescue operation to trace the remaining sixbodies of workers buried under the debris on the morning of February 22. The boulders and parts of the TBM were being shifted out of the tunnel with the help of a locomotive train.

The multi-agency rescue operation was underway round-the-clock, with five mini-excavators used to load the debris onto the conveyor belt and the remaining material onto the locomotive train. The dewatering process, with the help of a multi-stage pumping system, was also in progress 24×7 to ensure safe working conditions for the rescue teams.

Special Officer, appointed to coordinate and oversee the rescue operation, Siva Sankar Lotheti held a meeting with the team leaders of rescue agencies and reviewed the progress. He stated that the State government was paying special attention to the health of rescue teams’ personnel by providing them with nutritious and timely food and preventive medical aid.

The meeting was attended by Army officials Vikas Singh and Vijay Kumar, general manager (Rescue) of Singareni Collieries Baidya, State Disaster Response Force official Giridhar Reddy, South Central Railway official Ravindranath, officials of HYDRAA, Geological Survey of India, Rat hole Miners, Irrigation department, Jaypee Associates and others.