Bhubaneswar: Four out of five Odia labourers, who were trapped in Uttarakhand tunnel and safely rescued later, were returned to their home State today. They met Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas.
Chief Minister Shri Patnaik presented a cheque of Rs.2 Lakh each to all the workers.
Earlier four workers accompanied by state Labour Minister Sarada Prasad Nayak and Labour department officials arrived at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here at around 1 pm.
One of the workers stayed in Uttarakhand in his relative’s home and he will return later, officials said.
Five Odisha workers were among the 41 workers trapped in the Silkyara tunnel on the Brahmakhal-Yamunotri national highway in Uttarakhand for 17 days and were rescued on November 28 evening
The five rescued workers hailing from Odisha are Raju Nayak, Dhiren Nayak and Bisweswar Nayak from Mayurbhanj district, Bhagwan Batra from Nabarangpur and Tapan Mandal from Bhadrak district.
The workers thanked the State Government and 5T Chairman V K Pandian for taking care of them during this period.
“Due to the blessings of Lord Jagannath, our labourers have returned home safely. Our department has some special arrangements for the labourers. It was a concern and a big challenge for us, but our Odia sons showed bravery. In spite of the hurdles in the rescue operations, they have come home safely,” said Minister Shri Nayak.
“On the direction of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, two Labour department officials from Odisha rushed to the site just a day after the incident. I was camping in Uttarakhand for the last eight days,” he said.
The Minister further said 41 workers from nine states were trapped in the tunnel. While the family members of the workers from other states reached the spot selling their jewellery, the Odisha Government took the family members of the five workers to the site to give moral support to the trapped workers, he added.
Chairman 5T (Transformational Initiatives) V K Pandian on Thursday spoke to the five Odia workers through a video call. Shri Pandian had enquired about their health and discussed the facilities in the hospital.
