Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met the workers of Uttar Pradesh who were trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand and their families after their safe return.

During the meeting at his official residence here, the chief minister enquired about the well-being of the rescued workers and heard about their experiences during the challenging time when they were trapped in the tunnel.

Chief Minister Yogi said, “I am happy that all the labourers from Uttar Pradesh who were trapped in the tunnel have safely returned and are now going back to their homes. The state government stands with its people in every difficult time and will continue to do so.”

During this interaction, Yogi praised the courage and patience of all the labourers during their ordeal. He honoured them with shawls on behalf of the Uttar Pradesh government and also provided them with sweets and gifts.

Eight labourers from Uttar Pradesh were trapped in the under-construction Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi. After spending 16 days in the tunnel, they were rescued on the 17th day. Among them, six are from Shravasti (Ankit, Ram Milan, Satyadev, Santosh, Jayprakash and Ram Sundar), one from Lakhimpur Kheri (Manjeet) and one from Mirzapur (Akhilesh Kumar).

On Chief Minister Yogi’s directives, a nodal officer was appointed by the state government for real-time information about these labourers and their families were updated daily about their situation. The chief minister himself monitored the situation closely.

During the meeting with the chief minister, one of the labourers said that when the incident occurred, they realised that there was some damage to the oxygen pipe. As they proceeded further, they saw debris coming from the front and their courage deserted them. The labourer explained that the place where they were trapped had a tunnel length of 2.5 kilometres and a width of 14 metres. There was enough oxygen in the tunnel for them to survive for two to three days, and the rest of the assistance was provided by the company and the government.

He went on to say that had the supply of food, water and oxygen from outside stopped, their lives would have been in danger. The labourer highlighted that both the company and the government ensured that there was no power outage inside the tunnel.

When an officer from UP contacted them, they realised that not only the Central and Uttarakhand governments but also the government of their home state (Uttar Pradesh) was determined to rescue them, the labourer added.

During the conversation, the labourers also expressed gratitude for the efforts made by the UP government.

Chief Minister Yogi enquired about the duration of their work in the tunnel in Uttarakhand. Additionally, he engaged in discussions with the families of the labourers to gain insights into their current situation.

Jay Prakash from Shravasti said the meeting Chief Minister Yogi was a great experience and the way he boosted their morale was motivating. He shared that the initial day inside the tunnel after the incident was incredibly challenging but as they became aware of the collective efforts outside to rescue them, their hopes strengthened.

Manjeet from Lakhimpur Kheri said the meeting with the chief minister was very pleasant, and it was a huge honour to meet him. He never thought that one day he would have the opportunity to meet Chief Minister Yogi.

Akhilesh Kumar from Mirzapur expressed his happiness with the efforts made by the Yogi Adityanath government for their safe return.