"Telangana CM must visit site, take charge of rescue operations": BRS MLC K Kavitha on SLBC tunnel collapse

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], February 27 (ANI): BRS MLC K Kavitha on Thursday criticised Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy for not visiting the site of the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel collapse and demanded that he immediately take charge of the rescue operations, as workers, including one or two engineers, remain trapped inside.
She urged the government to treat the incident "seriously", while rescue teams, including expert miners from Uttarkashi, continue efforts to bring those trapped to safety.
Speaking to ANI, Kavitha said, "Workers, including 1-2 engineers, have been stuck inside the tunnel. It is an unfortunate incident, but it is very unfortunate to know and understand that the Chief Minister of Telangana has not visited the site to date, and he's not on top of things. We demand that the Chief Minister immediately visit the site and take care of the rescue operations. We demand that the government takes this incident very seriously. CM should go to the site and take care of the entire incident..."
Meanwhile, rescue operations are underway, with the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) leading efforts to evacuate those trapped.
On February 27, Telangana Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy provided an update on the rescue efforts, stating that a structured plan had been devised to accelerate operations while ensuring the safety of rescuers.
"The assessment yesterday was that the people going in to rescue and bring out the survivors would themselves be at great risk. Yesterday and today, we have assessed the situation, and now we have a concrete plan of action. We will be moving with greater speed for saving the survivors and for all rescue and relief operations... We will finish everything in two days..," said Uttam Kumar Reddy.
Following field inspections over the past two days, the government has decided to proceed with a structured approach, exploring multiple entry points to safely reach those trapped.
"Based on field inspections yesterday and today, we have taken a decision. We are going ahead with it now... To mitigate the risk, we are taking additional precautions... We are also exploring access from the side and the main exit. Now, we have finalised a plan of action on how to mitigate the risk for rescuers and go in and save the survivors," he added.
A team of expert miners, who were instrumental in the Uttarkashi tunnel rescue operation in Uttarakhand, has been deployed to assist in the efforts. One of the rescuers, Munna Qureshi, acknowledged the challenges but remained confident in their ability to complete the mission.
"Our team rescued 41 workers in Uttarkashi... We have to conduct a rescue operation here as well. There is some difficulty, but we will solve the problem and give you results... The situation is serious here. It is a big mission... The Collector is saying to rescue all the workers. We are a total of 12 rat miners here," said Qureshi while speaking to ANI.
Rescue teams continue to work around the clock to bring those trapped to safety. (ANI)