As Indian government agencies are trying to rescue 41 labourers trapped in the Uttarakhand-located tunnel for 11 days, well-known sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has created a sculpture on the Puri beach for them titled 'Let the Light of Prayers Take Away the Darkness'.
"The workers trapped in Uttarakhand were working for our nation. Uttarakhand also happens to be one of the four main Hindu pilgrimage centres as well. They were constructing a lifeline of that pilgrimage site," Pattnaik told Sputnik India on Wednesday.
"Since Jaganath-Puri is one of India's four key pilgrimage centres, we have tried to pray to Lord Jagannath here to bless those workers to safely come out of the tunnel at the earliest. We wish people across India to pray for them," he shared.
As a lot of people converge on the Puri beach, he said the visitors prayed for trapped workers' safety. "We wished to evoke a collective feeling for their welfare. It is hoped to lend moral support to the affected families in their difficult hour as the countrymen stands with them in prayers."
Meanwhile, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enquired about the ongoing efforts from Uttarakhand State Chief Pushkar Singh Dhami over phone. The Prime Minister’s Office team has also inspected the spot and monitoring the situation and coordinating.
The collapse of the under-construction tunnel's section was first disclosed on 12 November. It occurred due to muck falling in a 60-metre stretch on the Silkyara side of the tunnel.
On Monday, the ninth day of rescue operation at the Silkyara tunnel collapse site, rescuers succeeded in threading a six-inch-wide pipeline via debris of the collapsed section and deliver first hot meals.