The Chief Minister's Office of Uttarakhand announced on Monday, 25 May 2026 that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami chaired a virtual meeting with all district magistrates from his private residence in Khatima, issuing a sweeping set of administrative directives covering land governance, monsoon preparedness, pilgrimage management, and agricultural scheme delivery.

Context

Speaking to district officials across Uttarakhand, CM Dhami ordered an acceleration of the ongoing campaign to remove encroachments from government land. He directed magistrates to inspect government land located within gram sabhas (village councils) and to investigate land purchases made in violation of the state's residency-based land laws. The Chief Minister stated that where violations are confirmed, the land must be vested in the state government following expedited hearings.

Dhami also directed officials to remove illegal occupation from enemy properties — assets left behind by those who migrated to Pakistan and China — located within the state. On Waqf properties, he ordered that their details be regularly entered on the Umeed Portal and that these records be subject to periodic verification.

Policy Backdrop

Uttarakhand has pursued successive land-reclamation drives since 2017, seeking to enforce laws that restrict non-residents from purchasing agricultural and hill land. A 2022 government order had already directed all district magistrates to identify and remove encroachments on nazool and gram sabha land within six months, making the latest directive a continuation and escalation of that policy.

The Chief Minister further ordered a verification drive targeting arms licences held by migrants from other states and the identification of individuals with criminal backgrounds. Officials were also directed to audit Jan Seva Kendras (public service centres) and identify ineligible persons holding fraudulent ration cards and availing government benefits.

Monsoon and Pilgrimage Preparedness

With the monsoon season approaching, Dhami instructed every district to hold pre-monsoon review meetings and complete all necessary arrangements in advance. He ordered time-bound repair of damaged roads in interior areas and directed that drinking water supply be maintained smoothly during the summer period, with any technical disruptions resolved on an immediate priority basis.

On power supply, the Chief Minister directed that unnecessary electricity cuts must not occur under any circumstances, and that if outages are unavoidable, advance notice must reach residents at the local level in time to prevent inconvenience.

For the ongoing Char Dham Yatra — the annual pilgrimage to Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath drawing millions of devotees — Dhami ordered regular monitoring of pilgrim routes, continuous feedback collection from pilgrims, and improvements based on suggestions and complaints. Adequate drinking water availability along the yatra route and an effective traffic management plan were also mandated. The Chief Minister directed that the Kainchi Dham bypass construction under the Manaskhand Yatra corridor must be completed without fail within the coming month.

Agriculture and Disaster Reconstruction

Dhami cautioned that schemes run through the agriculture and horticulture departments — including Poly House promotion, the Apple Mission, and the Kiwi Mission — must not remain limited to paperwork but must deliver real benefits to farmers on the ground. He asked officials to ensure effective implementation rather than administrative compliance alone.

The Chief Minister directed that reconstruction work in disaster-affected areas be completed at an accelerated pace, and he specifically sought a detailed progress update from officials on the ongoing reconstruction work in Jyotirmath (Joshimath), a town that suffered severe land subsidence in recent years. The meeting signals that Dhami intends district administrations to treat land governance, citizen verification, and infrastructure delivery as parallel, equally urgent priorities heading into the monsoon months.