Workers from Khunti, Gumla, and other districts of Jharkhand are among those trapped inside a tunnel that collapsed at a construction site in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand — and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren moved swiftly on Thursday, August 13, calling his Uttarakhand counterpart and opening state helplines for anxious families.

Soren-Dhami call: what the two Chief Ministers agreed on

Soren reached Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami by phone and received a direct assurance: every possible effort is being made to bring all trapped workers out safely. The call is a routine but critical step in India's inter-state emergency protocol — when migrant labour crosses state lines, political accountability must follow. Soren made the exchange public immediately, signalling to Jharkhand families that their state government is not a passive bystander.

Jharkhand's control room numbers for families of trapped workers

The CM activated the state's migrant worker cell and published three contact points. Families with relatives working at the Chamoli project can reach the government at the toll-free helpline 1800-3456-526, or on WhatsApp at 9470132591, 9431336472, and 9431336427. The post also tagged @SPYadavGodda and @migrantcell_JH, directing officials to coordinate on the ground. 'The government is fully committed to the safe return of every worker,' Soren wrote.

Repeated Himalayan tunnel accidents and the cost of unchecked construction

Soren did not stop at crisis management. He turned the moment into a pointed call for rethinking how India builds in fragile mountain terrain — 'Prakriti ke andhaadhundh dohan ke gambhir parinaam hamein baar-baar chetate hain' ('The grave consequences of reckless exploitation of nature warn us again and again'). Uttarakhand's Himalayan geology is among the most seismically active and landslide-prone in the country, and tunnel collapses in the region have recurred with alarming frequency. Soren's framing — development is necessary, but must respect nature and ecological balance — echoes a growing chorus of voices demanding stricter environmental safeguards on infrastructure projects in the upper Himalayas.

Jharkhand is one of India's largest suppliers of migrant labour, with workers from its tribal-majority districts — including Khunti and Gumla — regularly travelling to construction sites across the country. When accidents strike, the human cost lands disproportionately on some of India's most economically vulnerable communities.