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Jaiprakash Gaur, Founder Chairman of Jaypee Group, the contracting firm of Srisailam Left Bank Canal project that suffered partial collapse trapping eight persons, on Wednesday said accidents may happen during difficult works.
Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, the flagship company of Jaypee Group, was awarded the contract of tunnel boring of SLBC.
Speaking to reporters at the accident site after meeting Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, the nonagenarian said he had seen six to seven accidents during his professional career.
"In these difficult works, such things happen. In my life, I think there might be six or seven accidents, the Tehri (project), in Bhutan, in J&K, everywhere. You have to encounter all this," he said.
Gaur further said the teams are doing their best to see that those trapped individuals come out.
Two engineers and four labourers of the eight trapped persons are working for Jaiprakash Associates.
The firm on February 23 informed the stock exchanges that a day before, between 10 AM and 11 Am, 60 people including engineers, technicians, operators and Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) in-charge were working at the location.
The in-charge of the shift observed sound and intuitively ordered evacuation and ran for safety as huge amounts of water, stones, sludge and mud came down from the roof and filled the entire area in length of about 300 meters.
Unfortunately, when the headcount was taken, it came to be known that eight workers which included two officers got trapped in the debris. With the response team, medical team and support of departmental officers, district administration, efforts have been going on to retrieve the trapped workmen and officials, the exchange intimation said.
As sludge started solidifying inside the Srisailam Left Bank Canal tunnel in Telangana, rescuers are planning to use sniffer dogs to locate those got trapped, District Collector B Santhosh said on Wednesday.
The official further said the National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) is expected to give their point of view today on the stabilisation of soil and other issues, based on which the action plan would be drafted.
Santhosh also said the teams were able to reach up to the accident spot inside the tunnel using a thermal fishing boat.
"Initially there was a hurdle of 40 meters (from the accident spot). The sludge was there. But that has solidified now to the maximum extent. So the team could go up to the accident spot. So we have a sniffer dog. We will take it. So with the dog's help, we will try to locate (the trapped)," the official told PTI.
He further said the priority is to locate the individuals.
The collector said the officials are expecting the conveyor belt to function today and for further excavation some space has to be created at the Tunnel Boring Machine.