tapovan blackie has not left for three days through the din of excavators and drills the sporadic afternoon rain and the chaos that comes with a rescue operation on this scale the twoyearold bhutia dog has been sitting outside the tunnel at the tapovan hydel project site waiting for those he knew the men that fed him and petted him we would give him food a sack to sleep on when we worked blackie would be around during the day and would leave in the evening when we did said rajinder kumar who had a narrow escape on sunday when the flooded rishiganga blocked the tunnel trapping 34 workers of the ntpcs tapovanvishnugad hydropower project inside blackie was born around the project site when work on it had already begun he grew up around uson sunday night the day the flood hit he was not around following his routine he had gone downhill for the night when he came back the following morning none of the men he knew was around he must have realised something was amiss the place was full of strangers who paid no attention to him we didnt know what to do at first a local said that morning he recalled rescue teams tried to shoo him away heavy machinery was being brought in and there was chaos all around but he kept coming back he just wouldnt leave others who live here also said they had seen him around often he would laze around on the road leading up to the project site said ajeet kumar who lives in tapovan some of those on their way to the project site would stop pet him for a bit and he would follow them playfully when i heard of what had happened on sunday i went to the tunnel site to see if i could help the next day i saw blackie whenever i go he is there but he is anxious visiblyunsure if areas downhill are safe right now the locals would rather that blackie stay up here now we are looking after him now whoever sees him around feeds him its like we have adopted him one of them said he sits outside the tunnel all day all night waiting we hope he gets to see them again soon