Army, Navy join efforts to rescue excavator operator at soil cave-in site in Palghar

Palghar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday 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 a water project in Palghar 17 days ago.

An excavator operator was trapped after the soil and wall structure collapsed during work on a tunnel shaft at the Surya water supply project site in Sasun Navghar village, some 50 km from Mumbai, on the night of May 29.

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 chief minister, accompanied by MMRDA Commissioner Dr Sanjay Mukherjee and Palghar Collector Govind Bodke, visited the site on Friday and reviewed the rescue efforts.

Talking to reporters, Shinde said, "Excavator operator Rakesh Yadav was involved in an accident while working on the Surya pipeline project.

Despite extensive rescue operations involving local teams and NDRF, he remains trapped. The Indian Army, Navy, and Coast Guard now have joined the search. We are committed to his rescue." The chief minister announced compensation of Rs 50 lakh to Yadav's family in the event of his death and assured a job to a member.

He further said that considering the complexity of the situation, professors from the Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI) will oversee the rescue.

The experts will also conduct a thorough inquiry to ascertain the cause of the incident and prevent future occurrences, Shinde said.