RAIPUR: Amidst the ongoing rescue operations to save the ten-year-old Rahul Sahu of Chhattisgarh who fell into the 80-feet deep borewell on Friday, Chhattisgarh government is making efforts to get assistance from a borewell-robot expert in Gujarat who expressed to extend his support on Twitter.
Officials said that the rescue becomes more challenging with the boy being speech and hearing impaired. The rescue teams are trying to get continuous response from him in some or the other way.
Chief minister Bhupesh Baghel is personally looking into the matter and he said that he has directed officials to make all arrangements if the borewell robot can be useful in rescuing Rahul from the borewell.
Baghel spoke to the Rahul’s parents Lala and Geeta Sahu on a video call and consoled them to have patience, assuring them of best efforts being put in by the state govt.
TOI had tweeted the story on ‘Ten-year-old boy falls in borewell in Janjgir Champa district, NDRF, Army called for rescue’ when Mahesh Ahir from Gujarat replied that his invention ‘borewell rescue robot’ can rescue the boy within half an hour and efforts can be made for the transportation.
Taking cognizance of the tweet, Chhattisgarh government got in touch with Ahir in Gujarat and arrangements were being made to take assistance to rescue the boy. Officials said that Ahir who lives in Amreli district of Gujarat, has been asked to reach Raipur airport from where he would be taken to Pihrid village in Janjgir Champa while efforts were also being made to airlift him.
CM tweeted, “We are trying to get robot-assistance from Mahesh Ahir of Gujarat for safe rescue of Rahul. Officers have been directed to get in touch with him.”
A top government officer said that the borewell robot, if found useful, would be procured from Ahir.
Mahesh Ahir said that he’s immediately leaving for Ahmedabad airport and he would be here late Saturday as there’s no direct flight.
Explaining about the borewell robot, Ahir said that he invented the first version of it in 2019 and had written to the Prime Minister that he wished to dedicate the robot to the nation for the cause of rescue. Then he was contacted by NDRF for a demonstration when he was suggested to add some more functions to it.
“I worked on the robot for two-three more years and the third prototype version is ready with artificial intelligence, oxygen supply, camera, two-way communication, arms to grab the victim and other features. It can rescue a child trapped inside the borewell within half an hour, if the procedures are properly followed,” Ahir said while rushing for Raipur.
Meanwhile, chief minister has instructed all district collectors and superintendents of police to ensure that all the unused borewells in their respective regions should be covered and never left open, else it calls for accidents. The open ones should be covered with immediate effect and regular monitoring should be done.
