The 41 workers, who were rescued from Uttarakhand’s Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency operation, kept their spirits up while trapped inside by taking morning walks and practising yoga, said a rescued worker to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a long-distance conversation.
The workers hailed Prime Minister Modi, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and all the rescue teams for their efforts. One of the workers said that they had nothing to worry about, because when the government could save Indians abroad, the trapped workers were within the country and knew they would certainly be saved.
In his telephonic conversation with the rescued workers late last night, Modi told them, “I congratulate you on coming out safely after being in danger for so many days. It is a matter of happiness for me and I cannot express it in words. If something bad had happened, can’t say how we would have taken that. It is God’s grace that all of you are safe.”
According to a video of the conversation released by the Prime Minister’s Office, he said, “Seventeen days is not a short time. You all showed a lot of courage and encouraged each other.”
Saba Ahmed, a worker from Bihar, told the prime minister that though they were stuck in the tunnel for days, they did not feel any fear or nervousness. The 41 of them took care of each other.
“We were like brothers, we were together. We used to take a stroll in the tunnel after dinner. I used to tell them to do morning walks and yoga. We would like to thank the Uttarakhand government, especially the CM, [and] VK (Singh) sahib,” said Ahmed. Modi, too, lauded Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways of India Gen (retd) VK Singh, saying that the latter showed his training of a soldier.
The workers used to take morning walks in an over 2km stretch of the tunnel they were trapped in and they also practised yoga, Ahmed told the PM.
Another worker, Gabbar Singh Negi from Uttarakhand, thanked the PM and CM Dhami, the company he works for, the Central government and rescue teams that worked day and night on the rescue operation.
“When we have you as the PM… and people were saved from other countries, we were in our country and therefore we had nothing to worry about,” Ahmed told Modi.
The prime minister said that he wanted their medical check-up to be done first before speaking with them and the doctors had told him that all the workers were in good health and fit. He also told them that the chief minister would make arrangements for them on their onward journeys back to their homes. Modi lauded the leadership and courage of the two workers.