Debris Clearing Operations at SLBC Tunnel are Progressing Swiftly: Ponguleti

Hyderabad: Minister for Revenue and Housing Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy has announced that the debris clearing operations at the SLBC Tunnel are progressing swiftly, following the directives of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. He stated that these operations are expected to be completed within the next 10 to 15 days.

Minister Ponguleti on Wednesday inspected the site of the SLBC tunnel accident near Domalapenta village in the Nagarkurnool district. He later addressed the media in Srisailam.

Ponguleti noted that nearly 800 specialists from various organisations have been involved in the operations over the past 40 days. He emphasised, "We are utilising advanced equipment for the rescue efforts. However, extracting mud from the tunnel has become challenging and hazardous due to the presence of iron and other materials entangled with the heavy drilling machinery."

The Minister announced that the State government has made all necessary arrangements to prevent any disruptions in the relief efforts. Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has instructed that the Collector, Special Monitoring Officer, Disaster Management Officer, and SP, among others, must always be available.

Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, accompanied by his wife, visited the Srisailam Mallikarjuna Swamy temple. Upon their arrival at the temple's Rajagopuram, the couple received a warm welcome from the temple's executive officer, Srinivasa Rao, who adorned them with garlands and facilitated their darshan. The priests chanted Vedic hymns and bestowed blessings upon them within the temple grounds.

During this visit, Minister Ponguleti made a contribution towards the development of the Srisailam Devasthanam by donating a cheque for Rs10,11,116 to the temple's executive officer.