Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the Army, Navy and Coast Guard have joined the efforts to rescue the excavator operator who remains trapped with the equipment after a cave-in at the Surya water supply project site near the Versova creek bridge on the Thane Ghodbunder Road junction17 days ago.
The chief minister, accompanied by MMRDA Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee and Palghar Collector Govind Bodke, visited the site today and reviewed the rescue efforts.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and other rescue teams have been working at the site, but neither the man nor the machine has been spotted.
The incident was reported on the night of 29th May when the operator identified as Rakesh Yadav was lowering the machine into the shaft to excavate material during the tunnelling process to connect the underground pipeline to the Thane creek.
The chief minister told media persons that based on the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) report, further action will be taken. He said that the priority is to find Yadav.
He also said that apart from a compensation of 50 lakh rupees, the L&T has been instructed to provide a job to a member of the Yadav family in their company.
