Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep concern over the SLBC tunnel collapse and reached out to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to inquire about the incident.

During their conversation, Modi assured the Chief Minister that the Centre would extend all necessary assistance for the ongoing rescue operations. He confirmed that NDRF teams would be dispatched immediately to the site and reiterated the central government’s full support in the rescue efforts.

Revanth Reddy briefed the Prime Minister on the swift rescue operations initiated following the collapse. He also sought additional assistance from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Defence to aid in the rescue operations. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister, who has been continuously monitoring the situation, deployed the Irrigation department officials to the site via a special helicopter to coordinate the rescue efforts.

Director-General of Fire Services, G V Narayana Rao, and IG Satyanarayana of Multi Zone-II in Telangana have been supervising disaster management teams and ensuring all necessary security measures are in place.

Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised that the contract agency, Robin Company, is a globally recognized firm specializing in tunnel excavation. Additionally, JP Associates, known for its extensive experience in infrastructure projects, is actively involved in the rescue mission. The state government is ensuring that all necessary technical support and logistical resources are provided to expedite the operation. However, unfortunately, the opposition BRS resorted to blame game and charged the government of having failed in taking necessary precautionary measures.