Rescued Silkyara workers reunite with families in Jharkhand, UP

Suddenly they heard a thud. By the time they could understand what had happened panic stuck, recalled Sukhram who returned home in Khirabeda, a nondescript village on the outskirts of Ranchi in Jharkhand, in the early hours of Saturday.

Sukhram, all of 22, reached his village at 1 am to a rousing welcome after staying trapped in the Silkyara tunnel for 17 days.

Relishing "murga bhaat" or chicken rice, his favourite meal, Sukhram told PTI, "Childhood games like "raja-rani" and "chor-sipahi" kept us alive and kicking after the initial days of gloom, despair and hopelessness. We were engaged in gantry and concrete work inside the tunnel when we heard a thud, and the realisation of what had happened gave us chills down the spine. We stood shocked and shaken. It froze us and many of us thought it was the end."

Fight for survival

Sukhram said that they sent the signal of being trapped inside by cutting the pipe, which was discharging muddy water outside, with the gas cutter.

"As soon as the contact with the outside was established, hopes were kindled and soon we started getting dry ration like muri (puffed rice), cashew, and raisins through a compressed pipe," he said.

During the initial days, muri and dry fruits that were sent inside got dirty, Sukhram said, "But, we used a chalni (sieve) meant for separating gravels from sand to clean them." Whatever was delivered, it was divided among the 41 people who were stuck inside, he said.

"For water, we depended initially on water dripping from rocks. At times we played games, at times we talked about our families and thought of our future. All games that we played during childhood came to our rescue," he recalled.

10 days of anxiety

Sukhram said after the first 10 days of gruelling anxiety, items such as khichdi, biryani, and roti-sabzi started coming in through a larger pipe, besides bananas, apples, and oranges.

"To relieve ourselves, we had no other option but to do it inside the tunnel. It was done at the farthest end and then covered with mud," he said.

"Prayers had become a routine for us and finally God heard us. We cannot describe our happiness on coming out alive and what gives much satisfaction is the people outside were happier than us. We thank the people of the nation from the bottom of our hearts and extend special thanks to PM Narendra Modi, and CM Hemant Soren, who has assured us to provide employment opportunities here," an emotional Sukhram said.

New birth

His paralysed mother Parvati, who was inconsolable after she found out about the disaster, was too happy to express her feelings.

A total of 13 people from the village had gone to Uttarkashi on November 1 in search of greener pastures and little did they know what fate had in store for them.

Luckily, only three of them were inside the tunnel when the disaster struck. The two others were Rajendra and Anil, both in their early 20s.

Fifteen of the 41 workers, who were struck inside the tunnel, hailed from the state.

Vijay Horo, a worker from Karra in Khunti, said the initial three days were harrowing but they were hopeful.

Horo, an undergraduate Arts student, said it was like a new birth for all of them.

'Diwali and Holi' on same day

For the locals of Motipur Kala village in Uttar Pradesh, too, it was both Diwali and Holi on the same day when six workers rescued from Uttarkahand's Silkyara Tunnel came home.

They were given a rousing reception with gulaal, fireworks, and slogans of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai.' As the six workers reached their village late Friday evening, the locals welcomed them with garlands and flowers. They were greeted with bursting of fire crackers, candles, and earthen lamps, and gulaal (coloured powder used in Holi) was flung in the air.

It was celebration all around with the youths dancing to DJ songs in an open area specially decorated for the occasion with some of them rejoicing on their own take of a popular Bollywood song as they sang "tunnel se aaya mera dost, dost ko salaam karo".

Rescued worker Satyadev's brother Mahesh who had reached Uttarkashi on November 16 told PTI that celebrations continued in the village till late in the night on Friday.

"Puja is being performed in the homes of all the labourers today (Saturday). In the morning, we all went to Kalchu Das Baba's Shiv temple and Kali temple. In the afternoon, everyone will go to the temple of Jabdaha Baba located in the middle of the forest," Mahesh said.

"20 people of the village had gone to Uttarkashi to work as labourers. Of these, six were on duty in the tunnel where the accident occurred. The remaining people were outside. None of them were ready to return to the village until the workers came out safely and all of them selflessly helped in the rescue operation," Mahesh said.

'Rousing welcome'

Overwhelmed by their meeting with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow and the grand welcome given to them, the six workers — Satyadev, Ankit, Ram Milan, Santosh, Jai Prakash, and Ramsundar — reached Motipur Kala in a minibus on Friday with friends, well-wishers, and family members rushing out on the roads dancing and singing.

Desperate to somehow catch a glimpse of their village men for whom they had been praying all these days, the people surrounded the bus to welcome them home.

Earlier, Shrawasti DM Krutika Sharma welcomed everyone at the DM residence and provided refreshments to the workers and their families.

The DM directed the officials concerned to provide housing facilities under Central schemes to the families of all the six workers, as per their eligibility, and also provide them 'Ayushman Gold' cards besides extending benefits of other government schemes.

"By the grace of God and the support of the government, we have got a new life," rescued worker Ankit said after returning to Motipur Kala.

Knew after 2 hours

"It was about two hours after the accident that we came to know that we were under thousands of tonnes of debris but all the while, the rescuers did not allow there to be a shortage of oxygen inside," Ankit said.

"Our families were a bit relieved after we got to talk to them through a microphone from inside the tunnel," he added.

Another worker Jai Prakash said, “We used to play games to pass our time inside the tunnel and somehow spend the time. It was great to meet Yogi ji on return. Our morale has increased after talking to him." Satyadev said he used to feel anxious while he was inside the tunnel but was thankful to the rescuers and the government as they had left no stone unturned in getting him out.

Disaster management expert Arun Mishra, the state coordinator who returned with the workers, said, "The state government had given me the responsibility of taking all the workers back to the village safely and that got completed late on Friday evening. Today I feel very good that our people are safe and able to meet their families."

Mishra, a resident of Bahraich associated with the Red Cross Society of Shrawasti, was sent to Uttarkashi by the Uttar Pradesh government as the state coordinator and he was present there since November 13.

(With agency inputs)