"Oppn Would Have Questioned Even If Workers Were Rescued In 10 Days": Union MoS Gen (retd.) VK Singh

New Delhi [India]: Hitting back at Opposition leaders for questioning the delay in the rescue of the trapped workers from the Uttarkashi tunnel, Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, General (retd.) VK Singh, on Thursday said they should have volunteered to lend a hand and contribute to the efforts instead of casting aspersions on them.

Singh was at the tunnel site along with Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami when the workers were safely extracted at the end of a rescue operation that spanned over two weeks, on Wednesday.

Speaking to media on Thursday, Singh said, ‘The Opposition would have raised questions had the rescue operation been completed in 10 days just as they would had it taken us 100 days to bring the workers out. They have nothing better to do. Why listen to what they are saying? I believe our Opposition leaders should come forward to help us in such efforts instead of raising questions.’

He added that one of the key aspects of the rescue operation was how Prime Minister Narendra Modi kept regular tabs on it and motivated the rescuers as they went about their job, braving cold days and even chillier nights in Uttarkashi, unflinching in their resolve to bring the workers out safely.

‘The feature of the rescue operation, which spanned just short of 17 days, was how PM Modi kept a close tab on it and took regular updates. He was also in regular touch with the rescuers, motivating them to keep digging through the debris and not give up. After taking the country’s responsibilities on his shoulders in 2014, the PM assured all citizens that if even a single person gets stuck anywhere in the country, the government will make all-out efforts to bring him to safety. Though the rescuers faced many obstacles, they stuck to the task and eventually found ways to overcome them,’ the Union minister added.

Meanwhile, CM Dhami announced a cash incentive of Rs 50,000 each to the personnel involved in the rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel, a portion of which gave way on November 12, trapping 41 workers.

‘The rescued workers are being taken to AIIMS, Rishikesh, where they will be subjected to a thorough medical check-up. Cheques of Rs 1 lakh each, which I had announced earlier, for all the trapped workers, have already been provided to them. The rescuers, who risked their lives and went inside the tunnel to bring out the trapped workers, will also receive a cash reward of Rs 50,000 each from the state government,’ CM Dhami said on Thursday.

On whether accountability was being fixed for the incident, Dhami said the central government has already ordered a safety audit of all under-construction tunnels in the country.

A section of the tunnel, between 205 and 260 metres from the Silkyara side, collapsed on November 12, with the debris blocking the exit of workers who were beyond the 260-metre mark.