SLBC tunnel tragedy: Telangana govt forms technical committee to conclude rescue ops

Hyderabad: Close to two months after the partial roof collapse at the SLBC tunnel in Telangana's Nagarkurnool district, the state government has appointed an 11-member multi disciplinary technical committee to conclude rescue operations.

Of the eight workers trapped, only two bodies have been retrieved so far. The committee will examine technically feasible and safe methods for conducting rescue efforts in the critical final 50-meter zone, aiming to recover the remains of the six missing workers and return them to their families in a timely manner.

The primary goal is to complete the rescue operation safely without endangering rescue personnel. The Geological Survey of India (GSI) has already warned that the final stretch near the tunnel's end is extremely vulnerable.

"The area about 50 meters back from the present face remains in a critical stage of stability due to continuous water ingress and deformation in the pre-cast segments. Its condition may deteriorate further with ongoing debris removal activities. Within the 20-meter reach from the current face, the existing natural platform should not be disturbed and should instead be used to reinforce the crown position," said GSI on March 8.

The government maintains that under present circumstances, any attempt to locate and recover the missing workers in this stretch could trigger further collapse and place rescuers in grave danger.

The unprecedented disaster occurred on February 22 when a section of the under-construction tunnel, approximately 14 kilometers inside the underground passage, collapsed. The cave-in caused a massive 1,000-tonne Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to break apart and be pushed back more than 200 meters by the force of water, muck, and boulders that surged through the breach.

Eight workers were initially trapped in the debris. Despite round-the-clock efforts over the past 55 days, only two bodies have been recovered, with six workers still missing and presumed buried in what officials now describe as a "critical zone" of the tunnel.

In a high-level review meeting on March 24, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy directed authorities to exhaust all possibilities to locate and recover the remaining workers while maintaining rescuer safety.

The recently issued government order appointing the committee noted that the rescue mission has already cleared more than 800 tonnes of metal debris from the fragmented TBM and approximately 1,200 cubic meters of muck. However, the final 50 meters present exceptional challenges that could potentially trigger another collapse if handled improperly.

In response to these challenges, the Telangana government has formed a multi-disciplinary technical committee comprising representatives from twelve different agencies, including the NDRF, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, GSI, National Centre of Seismology, Border Roads Organization, and various state departments.

The committee is tasked with developing scientifically sound methodologies for recovering the workers without endangering rescuers. The Chief Engineer of SLBC will convene the committee and report progress to both the Disaster Management Department and the Irrigation Department.