Will leave no stone unturned to protect our own: Ministers laud tunnel rescue

New Delhi: Union ministers on Tuesday lauded a successful operation to rescue 41 workers trapped in an under-construction road tunnel in Uttarakhand, with S Jaishankar saying “we will leave no stone unturned to protect our own”.

Rescue workers pulled out all 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency rescue operation that hovered between hope and despair for almost 17 days.

In a post on X, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar said, “We will leave no stone unturned to protect our own. Heartfelt gratitude to all those who worked tirelessly to rescue those trapped in the tunnel.” “Commend the grit and determination of those who faced such adversity without giving up hope,” he said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah described the rescue of the workers as great news for the nation and said the country salutes their grit in facing such a challenging situation for so long.

Shah also expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all those who made tireless efforts to save the labourers.

In a post in Hindi on X, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “I feel extremely happy with the news of the safe rescue of all the workers trapped in the tunnel accident in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand.

"The whole country was keeping an eye on this operation. The entire country has heaved a sigh of relief with its success," he said.

This is a moment of joy for the families of all labourers, he said.

“The biggest contribution in rescuing all these labourers trapped in very difficult and challenging conditions is of all the agencies engaged in relief and rescue work like NDRF, SDRF, Uttarakhand Police and the Indian Army. I heartily congratulate all of them,” Singh said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself kept taking regular updates about this operation and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami remained present at the spot and kept an eye on the progress of this rescue work, he said.

"I also deeply appreciate the role and sensitivity of Prime Minister Modi ji, Chief Minister Dhami ji, Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Gen V K Singh ji,” Singh added.

Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal said the labourers trapped in the tunnel in Silkyara have been rescued safely after a struggle for days and nights.

"This work continued under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and under the constant monitoring of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari ji and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami ji,” he noted.

"I wholeheartedly thank everyone for the cooperation, be it the workers involved in the rescue, security forces and experts engaged in this work, who have returned happiness to the families of our labourer brothers by remaining dedicated every moment,” Goyal said in a post in Hindi on X.