Nueva Delhi: the Minister of Irrigation and Civil Supplies of Télangana, Uttam Kumar Reddy announced on Saturday that robotic technology is being used to accelerate the Rescue operations In the SLBC tunnel in the Nagarkurnool district, where eight workers remain trapped.
Calling the incident a “national disaster,” said the state government is using the best global technology to address the challenges in the final stretch of the 14 kilometers.
During his visit to the site, the minister reviewed the situation with officials from multiple national agencies, including the Secretary of State Disaster Management, Arvind Kumar, and the Commander of the Parikshit Mehra army. The Badavath Santosh district collector, SP VAIBHAV GAIKWAD RAGHUNATH, and senior officials of the NDRF, SDRF, Railroads and Singeni were also present.
Reddy explained that rescue equipment has managed to clear 13.95 kilometers of the tunnel, but the last 50 meters remain very unstable due to oxygen depletion, water filtration and metal waste from the collapsed tunnel drilling machine (TBM). To navigate these dangers, robots equipped with high -resolution cameras, infrared sensors and robotic weapons for evaluation and extraction have been deployed.
According to the minister, Kerala’s corpse dogs detected a strong smell in a specific location, which suggests the presence of three individuals. He assured that the government would completely support the families of missing workers. Despite the continuous drainage and disappointed efforts, the final stretch remains a significant challenge, with the experts in rescue of global tunnels that are consulted to find a solution.
BJP hits the management of the Crisis of the Telangana government
The BJP criticized the response of the Telangana government, accusing it of negligence. The leader and minister of the BJP Union, G Kishan Reddy, claimed that the state authorities did not carry out adequate security inspections before the tunnel work began. “This tragedy is the result of the inefficiency of the state government. Why were security measures ignored? Why wasn’t there an adequate emergency plan?” He questioned.
BJP MLA Ethala Rajender also attacked the Telangana government led by Congress, stating that despite the repeated warnings of experts, the Administration did not act on time. “This is a disaster made by man. The government should assume responsibility,” he said.
Meanwhile, the opposition has demanded a judicial investigation into the accident. “Having robots now is fine, but this should have been done much earlier. The government was missing crucial time,” said BJP spokesman K Krishna Sagar Rao.
As the rescue efforts continue, Utam Kumar Reddy reiterated that all the necessary resources, including additional rupees of RS 4 for robotic systems, have been assigned to guarantee the success of the operation. He promised to return to the site in the next few days to evaluate progress.
