TIHRA (Bilaspur): Two of the three men stuck in a tunnel of Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane project near Bilaspur in Himachal Pradesh since September 12 were confirmed to be alive on Wednesday night.

Rescue teams established contact with Satish Tomar (24) and his co-worker Mani Ram by drilling 50 metres through the tunnel’s top and lowering a high-resolution digital camera with a microphone through the 4-inch hole. But there was no news of the third worker, 55-year-old Hirday Ram.

Trapped 280 metres inside the tunnel without food and water, Tomar put up a brave front when the camera was brought down and merely requested for some food and water.

Bilaspur deputy commissioner Manasi Sahay Thakur said drilling through the top of the tunnel had enabled them to supply food and water to the trapped workers and communicate with them. The administration was providing them food, dried fruits, glucose and adequate water.

Thakur said a big boring machine had arrived from Jaipur and a new road had been constructed to take the machine to the top of the tunnel to drill a hole of one metre diameter to bring out the trapped workers. “Our plan is to set up the machine at the tunnel top by midnight and start the boring by Friday morning,” Thakur said. “If all goes according to plan, the workers will be out in the next two to three days.”

Chiranjee Lal, Tomar’s brother-in-law, said this was the second time he had been caught in a cave-in. “He was stuck in a tunnel in Barsheni area of Kullu district for seven days about five to six years ago,” said Roshini Devi, a villager. A resident of Taru village in Sirmaur district, Tomar rented a room in Tihra village after he joined the company that is executing the road project.

Villager Sanjeev Kumar said Tomar had spoken about his earlier ordeal and told him how he had remained positive and survived. “This time also he is doing the same,” Kumar said. Villagers said Tomar was guiding Mani Ram about how to survive under the adverse conditions. “Otherwise, Mani Ram had lost all hope of being rescued from the dark tunnel,” said Kunta Devi, another villager.