Minister for  Irrigation& Civil Supplies . N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has announced that robotic technology has been deployed to accelerate the ongoing rescue operations at the SLBC tunnel near Domalapenta in Nagarkurnool district, where eight workers remain trapped. 

Calling the incident a national disaster, the Minister emphasised that the State government is utilising the best global technology to overcome the challenges in the final stretch of the 14-kilometer-long tunnel.  

Visiting the site along with Achampet MLA Dr. Chikkudu Vamsi Krishna on Saturday, he conducted a review with officials from multiple national agencies. 

Speaking to the media, the Minister stated that such a critical tunnel accident has never occurred in the country before. He explained that the rescue teams have managed to advance up to 13.95 kilometres inside the tunnel, but the final 50 meters remain highly unstable, posing severe risks due to oxygen depletion, excessive water seepage, and metal fragments from the collapsed Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM). Given these hazards, robots equipped with high-resolution cameras, infrared sensors, and robotic arms have been deployed to assess conditions and assist in extraction, he said. 

Uttam Kumar Reddy informed that cadaver dogs from Kerala detected a strong odour at a specific location, indicating the presence of three individuals. He assured that the government would provide full support to the families of the missing workers. The Minister also reviewed the ongoing dewatering and desilting efforts, confirming that updates would be provided after a review on March 11.  

Despite continuous efforts by 11 national-level rescue teams over the past two weeks, locating and retrieving the trapped workers remains a challenge. The government is consulting tunnel construction and rescue experts from across the globe to determine the safest course of action. On Saturday, 525 personnel were engaged in the rescue efforts, he said.