Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Friday, 22 May 2026, chaired a high-level review at his official residence covering forest fire control, drinking water supply, health services, and monsoon preparedness, issuing a series of directives to senior officials aimed at tightening the state's response to summer emergencies.

Context

At the meeting, CM Dhami directed officials that those damaging forest resources must face strict action, and that response time to forest fire incidents must be kept to a minimum. He set a clear benchmark: 'वनाग्नि की सूचना मिलने के एक घंटे के भीतर संबंधित अधिकारी मौके पर पहुंचें' — 'The concerned officer must reach the site within one hour of receiving information about a forest fire.'

Uttarakhand faces recurring summer forest fires driven by dry conditions, dense pine forests, and human activity. Annual pre-monsoon review meetings have become a fixture of state administration, combining enforcement measures with community-level participation through institutions such as Van Panchayats.

Policy Backdrop

CM Dhami directed officials to push for statewide implementation of the Shitalakhet Model of forest fire control — a community-based approach that has drawn attention as an effective local intervention. He ordered 1,000 new forest guard appointments to ensure adequate ground-level presence across the state.

Village committees and Van Panchayats — traditional forest councils with deep roots in Uttarakhand's hill communities — are to be provided the necessary budget as per rules for fire prevention activities. This approach of pairing enforcement with community empowerment reflects a broader pattern seen across successive state administrations.

On water and power, officials were directed to maintain uninterrupted drinking water and electricity supply across all urban and rural areas during the summer season. Dhami specifically ordered strict action against black-marketeering of water tankers, a recurring complaint during peak summer months.

Stakeholders and Impact

Backup arrangements for water and power supply are to be ensured at Char Dham Yatra route points, hospitals, and other critical institutions. The Char Dham Yatra — the annual pilgrimage to Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri — draws hundreds of thousands of devotees each summer, placing significant pressure on the state's infrastructure and health systems.

On health, officials were directed to mandatorily conduct fire safety audits of all hospitals and to promote institutional deliveries. A notable directive concerned pilgrim safety: officials were told to counsel devotees who are found unfit during screening tests at Char Dham entry points not to proceed with the yatra, a measure aimed at reducing pilgrimage-related health emergencies.

Forest communities, rural residents dependent on uninterrupted water supply, health institutions, and lakhs of pilgrims travelling the Char Dham route stand as the primary stakeholders in the directives issued at the review.

What's Next

The key indicators to watch will be the pace of the 1,000 forest guard recruitments and the rollout of the Shitalakhet Model across districts before peak summer and the onset of the monsoon. Hospital fire safety audits and the implementation of pilgrim health screening at Char Dham entry points will serve as measurable benchmarks for follow-through. With the monsoon approaching, the state's ability to transition swiftly from fire-season protocols to flood and landslide preparedness will be a further test of the administrative machinery CM Dhami has sought to activate through this review.