Shimla: Himachal Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Monday has expressed satisfaction over the success of rescue operation to extricate the employees trapped in the tunnel and said that while the two employees - Satish Tomar and Mani Ram - have been rescued, the operation to trace the third employee will continue.
"I hope and pray to almighty about the well being and safety of Hriday Ram, who is still missing," he said.
He said the Border Road Organization, State Disaster Management Authority, the district administration, National Disaster Response Force and all other involved in relief and rescue operations deserve appreciation for their relentless efforts despite hostile weather conditions.
"It was not an easy task and the work had to be carried out scientifically and technically so that no further harm was done to those trapped inside," he said, adding that the rescue teams and even the Deputy Commissioner and Superintendent of Police had camped at the site to monitor the operations.
He said that such incidents were very rare and it was unfortunate that the tunnel caved in unexpectedly trapping them inside and to leave them to undergo a never-ending ordeal for almost nine days.
"It will be ensured that such an incident does not occur in the future," he said, adding that all the safety measures had to be adopted by the construction companies before undertaking big hydel, tunneling or road projects at hand.
