After 15 hours of rescue operation, the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday evacuated 10 workers of the GR Infraprojects Ltd (GRIL), who were stranded in the swollen Vaitarna river in Bahadoli, Palghar. The workers were concretising the piling foundation for a bridge as part of the Mumbai Vadodara Expressway project.
The workers were on two barges, one floating and the other stationary; six workers were on the fixed barge and the remaining four were working on the floating ones.
As Vaitarna swelled, the floating barge was swept 400 mt away from the spot, stated Pune NDRF inspector Arakhita Jena, who supervised the operations. After being alerted about the incident, Palghar Collector Dr Manek Gursal also rushed to the spot amid heavy rains.
The rescue operation was tough owing to pitch darkness, the Collector said, adding that he had requested the Navy to send a Chetak helicopter to airlift the marooned workers.
On Thursday morning at around 7 am, the water level of Vaitarna receded and the 20 NDRF jawans used a tug boat, belonging to the GRIL, and finally succeeded in evacuating the workers.
Subsequently, the Navy was informed that there is no need for the helicopter now. A major mishap has been avoided as the intense rains and raging river could have led to a serious incident, pointed out the Collector.
Post rescue, the workers were taken to the Bahadoli base and will resume work after a day's rest, added Gursal.
Red alert till Saturday
The Palghar administration has issued a red alert till Saturday as there could be heavy rainfall and flooding in low-lying areas. The NDRF and District Disaster Response Force have been put on standby to tackle any flood-like situations.
