Massive Rescue Operation On At SLBC Tunnel: Minister

Telangana Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy today said that the rescue efforts at SLBC tunnel would conclude within three days, and the tunnel construction would resume in the next two to three months.

Addressing the media at the accident site near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, the minister described the incident as one of the most complex tunnel disasters in Indian history.

He said that such a large-scale, multi-agency operation was being carried out for the first time, and under a unified command.

"This is an extremely challenging operation, but the best minds in the field are involved. They are working selflessly, risking their own lives to complete this rescue. Eleven top agencies specializing in tunnel rescue operations are working with unmatched coordination and expertise," Reddy said.

He also spoke of the deployment of plasma cutters, high-grade shutters and specialized debris removal machinery.

International experts were overseeing the rescue strategy, while tunnel boring machines and dewatering processes had been reactivated to clear obstructions, the minister told the media.

Slamming the opposition, the minister condemned BRS leader Harish Rao's criticism of the rescue efforts. He held the previous BRS regime responsible for the accident, alleging that they had neglected the SLBC project for over a decade.

"If they had completed the project on time, Telangana's farmers would have had access to 30 TMC of water, benefiting three to four lakh acres of agricultural land in Nalgonda," he claimed.

The minister dismissed the BRS leaders' visit to the accident site as "political theatrics", and accused them of merely staging a show and leaving. He also recalled past incidents during the BRS administration such as the Srisailam Left Bank Power Station blast, where nine workers lost their lives, and the Devadula project, where seven workers' remains were recovered after five years.

"When those tragedies occurred, no BRS leader even visited the sites. Now, they are giving lectures on rescue operations," he said questioning the opposition's "sudden" concern over the SLBC tunnel accident.