PIL filed in Telangana High Court for swift rescue of SLBC tunnel workers
Hyderabad: A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Telangana High Court, urging authorities to expedite the rescue of individuals trapped in the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel. The petition, submitted by the National Union for Migrant Workers, highlighted that 10 days had passed since the incident, with no trace of the workers, according to reports by Eenadu.net.
Advocate General (AG) Sudarshan Reddy, representing the Telangana government, assured the court that rescue operations are ongoing with the involvement of the Army, Singareni rescue teams, and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel. He highlighted that efforts are being made around the clock, and the government is closely monitoring the situation.
The court concluded the hearing after recording the details provided by the AG.
Ongoing Rescue Operations
Rescue teams have advanced up to 14 kilometers inside the SLBC tunnel. However, mud and debris have posed significant challenges to the operation. As part of the efforts, the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) is being cut into pieces. Teams from 11 organizations, including the Army, Navy, NDRF, Singareni, NGRI, and others, are working together in the joint operation.
On March 1, 2025, Telangana Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao announced progress in the rescue operation. He confirmed that the rescuers had located four of the eight workers trapped in the collapsed tunnel. He expressed hope that the workers would be extricated by Sunday evening, although the process is hindered by five to seven meters of silt that must be cleared. Minister Krishna Rao also stated that the workers might be trapped beneath the TBM, and while the chances of survival are low, ambulances have been stationed near the site.
A ground-penetrating radar (GPR) study by the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) detected soft material beneath the debris in the final 10-15 meters of the tunnel. Despite rumors, Nagarkurnool District Collector Badavath Santosh confirmed that no bodies have been found at the site.
The incident occurred on February 22, 2025, when a portion of the tunnel roof collapsed at the 14-kilometer mark. Among the eight workers trapped, two are engineers, two are operators, and the remaining four are laborers. The workers are employed by Jaiprakash Associates and have been identified as Manoj Kumar (UP), Sri Niwas (UP), Sunny Singh (J&K), Gurpreet Singh (Punjab), Sandeep Sahu, Jegta Xess, Santosh Sahu, and Anuj Sahau (all from Jharkhand).
