The unsung heroes of Silkyara rescue ops

 

 

 

 

AMID the chaos and turmoil behind the successful rescue operations of 41 trapped workers evacuated from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand the grit and resilience of two Chhattisgarh men shone bright but remained behind curtains. Deepak Sharma, an Indian Engineering Services (IES) officer and Manikant Mishra, a 2015-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) of Uttarakhand, are related to Chhattisgarh. The two officers were part of the multi-agencies and well-coordinated effort, which has been now dubbed as one the most significant rescue operations in recent years. According to information, Deepak Sharma is presently posted as Chief Engineer and Regional Head, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in Dehradun, whereas Manikant Mishra happens to be Commandant of State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) in Uttarakhand. “Deepak Sharma basically hails from the small holy town of Rajim, situated at a distance of 45 kilometres from Raipur and part of Gariaband district. He is also alumnus of Government Engineering College in Raipur, now known as National Institute of Technology (NIT). After his studies from Raipur, he joined Indian Engineering Services and is currently posted as Chief Engineer in the Ministry of Road transport and Highways. The post is equivalent to Joint Secretary, Government of India,” said Puneet Choubey, while talking exclusively to ‘The Hitavada’. Closely related with both the officers, Choubey is presently posted as General Manager, Centre for Engineering (CET) with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) in Bhilai. Choubey is brother-in-law of Manikant Mishra and co-brother-in-law of  Deepak Sharma.

 

“It’s a proud moment for me and all our family members that they both contributed in one of the greatest rescue missions to save the life of 41 bravehearts stuck in the tunnel for 17 days. I salute all the 41 persons for their bravery, grit and patience,” the 55-year-old Choubey reacted with pride. Choubey said, Uttarakhand SDRF Commandant Manikant Mishra happens to be son-in-law of Late V S Choubey, former Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) and Chairman, Chhattisgarh State Human Rights Commission (CSHRC). The duo are also related with Vivek Shukla, a 2012-batch IPS officer of Chhattisgarh cadre, presently posted as Aides-De-Camp (ADC) to Governor Biswabhusan Harichandan. Choubey affirmed that Deepak Sharma was part of the high-level multi-agencies task force created by Government of India (GoI) to rescue the trapped labourers, which was jointly supervised by General VK Singh, Minister of State (MoS) for MoRTH and Anurag Jain, Secretary, MoRTH.

 

“The task force comprised GoI’s foremost agencies including RVNL- Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL), Tehri Hydel Development Corporation (THDC), Geological Survey of India (GSI), Border Roads Organisation (BRO), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation limited (NHIDCL), the company which was executing the work. The task force was entrusted with the responsibility for quick and effective implementation of plans for restoration of supply/rescue ducts and for coordinating jobs entrusted to various government agencies,” he added. Meanwhile, expressing great delight, Vivek Shukla, (ADC) to Governor Chhattisgarh, said that his relatives Deepak Sharma and Manikant Mishra, being at the forefront of the multi-agency rescue operations, remained there as beacon of hope and persistence which not only saved 41 precious lives but also brought laurels to the family and nation in large.