Metro India News | Hyderabad 

Arvind Kumar, the Special Chief Secretary for Disaster and Management, has announced that an autonomous robot powered by hydraulics is being utilized for the digging operations, rather than relying on manual labor. This advanced technology aims to expedite the ongoing rescue efforts at the Srisailam Left Bank Canal (SLBC) tunnel near Domalapenta in the Nagarkurnool district, where seven workers are still trapped.

Aravind Kumar elaborated that this approach was implemented to efficiently remove the soil accumulated during the digging process. He also mentioned that the vacuum tank can transport up to 620 cubic meters of muddy soil per hour via a conveyor belt. He said the State government is utilizing the best global technology to overcome the challenges in the final stretch of the 14-kilometer-long tunnel.

Special Chief Secretary Arvind Kumar, along with Nagarkurnool District Collector Badawat Santosh, District SP Vaibhav Gaikwad Raghunath, and other senior officials of the relief teams, held a review meeting on the relief operations at the SLBC Tunnel office on Friday. He reviewed the progress of relief operations in the tunnel. On the occasion, Aravind Kumar stated the rescue teams are working round the clock, using the most advanced technology and equipment to safely extract the trapped workers.

"We are using a specialised machinery connected to an autonomous hydraulically powered robot to speed up rescue operations inside the tunnel," he said. Aravind Kumar revealed that a machine with a 30 HP capacity liquid ring vacuum pump and a vacuum tank has been sent for effective relief operations. He said these machines will be useful for quickly removing soil and speeding up work inside the tunnel.

"The use of advanced technological machinery will help in completing relief operations more efficiently and quickly," Aravind Kumar stated. He further informed that the Army, Singareni Mines Rescue Team, NDRF (National Disaster Response Force), SDRF (State Disaster Response Force), RAT Miners, Geological Survey of India, Hydra, Anvi Robotics and South Central Railway teams are participating in the rescue operations.