Unsung heroes of Silkyara tunnel mission: Six rat-hole miners from Jhansi

The mission in Silkyara tunnel is inching closer to victory and on the 17th day of the rescue operations, the government has sought service from the highly skilled rat miners hailing from Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi. The mission Silkyara tunnel now has formed an unusual alliance of rescue workers, the Indian army and the adept rat miners who can change the game all around.

A total of five rat hole diggers are being brought into Uttarkashi to help with the vertical drilling process. These workers are specialists who can wriggle through narrow holes and confined spaces, and moreover, they are not claustrophobic. They are expected to drill 10-12 meters in just hours time to reach the workers. Their alliance with the army will surely yield the results, according to experts who are stationed in the location.

In 2014, the National Green Tribunal banned the rat mining practice for its unconventional and unscientific approach that can invite disasters. Despite the warnings, rat hole mining continues effectively in high terrain areas including Meghalaya, where coal is abundant. These workers can sneak down to even 100 feet with ease, and all this is done without any assistance from high mechanical equipment.

And now, it is expected that the rat miners can reach the workers in just hours’ time. They should have been called into action a lot earlier, say many experts.