Rs 2 lakh aid for Odia labourers rescued from Uttarakhand tunnel

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today provided financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh each to the Odia labourers, who were rescued from a partially-collapsed tunnel in Uttarakhand recently.

Four Odia labourers, who were rescued from the tunnel through a 17-day-long operation, today reached the Odisha capital by a special flight from New Delhi.

The labourers—Raju Nayak, Dhiren Nayak and Bisheshwar Nayak of Mayurbhanj, and Bhagaban Bhatra of Nabarangpur—met the Chief Minister at his residence.

The Chief Minister welcomed the four labourers and enquired about their health. The labourers recounted their 17-day-long struggle inside the tunnel before the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister provided financial assistance of Rs 2 lakh to each of the four Odia labourers and praised their courage and resilience in the hours of crisis, said an official.

Notably, five Odia workers among 41 people got trapped inside the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand when a portion of it collapsed on November 12.

The labourers were rescued from the tunnel on November 28 through a gruelling operation that lasted for several days.

Tapan Mandal, another Odia worker rescued from the tunnel, is now staying with one of his relatives in the hill state, sources said.