Jaipur:

Three-year-old Chetna remained trapped in the borewell in Rajasthan’s Kotputli even as the rescue operations entered the eighth day on Monday.

Officials said the rescue teams have reached close to Chetna who was trapped in a 700-foot-deep borewell on December 23. The girl was trapped at a depth of approximately 170 ft. The officials overseeing the rescue operations expressed confidence that they would reach Chetna by noon.

By 6:30 a.m. on Monday, NDRF personnel had managed to dig about 7 feet of a tunnel, leaving only 1.5 feet of hard rock to drill through. However, the rock’s hardness is significantly slowing progress, with only 2-4 inches being drilled per hour.

NDRF team member Mahavir Singh noted that as they dig deeper, the temperature inside the tunnel is rising, and the team is facing breathing difficulties due to dust. Despite these challenges, the personnel are proceeding with caution and focus.

The tunnel is being dug at a challenging angle with extremely hard rock, according to the drilling team. NDRF in-charge Yogesh Kumar Meena stated that experts have been called in to ensure the tunnel’s accuracy. Engineers from Hindustan Zinc Limited (Ajmer, Bhilwara, and Khetri Mines) and local construction professionals have been consulted to verify the alignment of the borewell and the tunnel. Additionally, personnel from the Air Force and BSF have been involved to confirm the direction. All assessments so far indicate the drilling is on the correct path.

On December 23, around 2 p.m., Chetna fell into the borewell while playing. Despite multiple attempts using improvised methods, she was only raised by 30 feet.

Since the fall, Chetna has had no access to water, and there have been no signs of movement from her since the evening of December 24. Officials have also refrained from sharing camera visuals or updates about her condition in recent days.

The rescue operation continues, now entering its eighth day, as teams race against time to save Chetna.

Officials remain tight-lipped about Chetna’s condition, who has been trapped for eight days. District Collector Kalpana Agarwal described this as Rajasthan’s most challenging rescue operation. On December 28, Chetna’s family and villagers criticised the administration for alleged negligence in handling the situation.

Jaipur:

A three-year-old girl has been stuck in a 700-foot borewell in Rajasthan’s Kotputli-Behror district for more than 20 hours with the teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and its state counterpart, SDRF, involved in the rescue operations.

The girl, Chetna, was playing on his father’s farm when she accidentally slipped into the borewell.

She is stuck at a depth of nearly 150 feet and her movements are being monitored through a camera.

An oxygen pipe has also been lowered into the borewell to supply oxygen.

The officials had first tried to dig but faced difficulties as the soil around her was compacted due to moisture.

Photo Credit: PTI

They are now trying to pull her out with the help of a hook attached to a rod.

She is expected to be rescued in some time.

Second Borewell Incident in 2 Weeks

The incident comes two weeks after a five-year-old boy fell into a borewell in Rajasthan’s Dausa district.

The boy, Aryna, was rescued after a 56-hour-long operation but was declared dead in the hospital.

He fell into the 150-foot-deep borewell while playing in a field.

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) last week issued a notice to the Rajasthan government and police over the tragic incident.

“It seems that the guidelines issued by the Supreme Court and the Centre are not being followed by authorities to prevent such unfortunate incidents/fatal accidents of small children falling into open/abandoned borewells and tube wells.

“This apparent negligence not only amounts to dereliction of duty on their part but (is) also tantamount to violation of people’s right to life,” the NHRC said in a statement.

The NHRC has sought a detailed report on the matter within two weeks. The report, the commission said, should include the status of the FIR registered in the reported matter, action taken against public authorities responsible and compensation, if any, provided to the family of the victim.