Sixteen workers are out. The rest are still trapped. And Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami is on the phone — not with his own officials, but with the chief ministers of the states those workers call home.

On the evening of 13 August 2026, CM Dhami personally telephoned the chief ministers of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to brief them on the debris-and-water flooding incident inside a THDC-operated under-construction tunnel at Mayapur (Piplakoti) in Chamoli district. The call was a direct line of accountability — state to state, leader to leader — on the fate of migrant labourers working deep inside the Himalayas.

16 Rescued, Rescue Operations Ongoing at Piplakoti

Dhami told both chief ministers that 16 workers have been pulled out safely so far, with war-footing rescue operations still active for the remaining trapped labourers. He assured that those already rescued are receiving immediate medical attention — medicines, food, shelter, and specialist care where needed. If any worker requires referral to a higher medical facility, he said, that arrangement will be made without delay.

The Uttarakhand government's message was unambiguous: 'मानव जीवन की सुरक्षा सर्वोपरि है' — 'the protection of human life is paramount' — and the entire state machinery is committed to the safety, treatment, and support of every affected worker and their family.

Migrant Labour, Himalayan Tunnels, and a Recurring Risk

Tehri Hydro Development Corporation (THDC), a central public sector undertaking, operates some of Uttarakhand's most ambitious hydroelectric infrastructure projects. The Piplakoti tunnel is one such site — and like many in the region, it draws its workforce heavily from eastern states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, where economic migration to construction sites is a livelihood reality for tens of thousands of families.

Himalayan tunnel construction carries inherent geological and hydrological hazards. Sudden debris slides and water ingress are not unprecedented in this terrain — and when they strike, the human cost falls disproportionately on migrant workers who are far from home and far from the political systems meant to protect them. Dhami's direct outreach to peer chief ministers is a recognition of that reality: these are not just Uttarakhand's workers. They belong to other states, other families, other electorates.

What Dhami Promised the Families' Home States

In his calls, CM Dhami gave both chief ministers a full situation briefing and offered a clear commitment: the Uttarakhand government stands with every affected worker and their family 'with complete sensitivity and dedication.' He emphasised that no resource — medical, logistical, or otherwise — will be spared in the rescue effort. The state's entire administrative apparatus, he said, is working at full speed.

The next critical phase is the completion of rescue operations for the workers still inside the tunnel. Medical referrals, safety audits of the THDC site, and a joint review of protocols at Himalayan construction projects are all expected to follow once the immediate emergency is resolved.

For the families waiting in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, the phones between chief ministers may be the closest thing to reassurance they have tonight.