Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami defended the state’s development projects, stating that natural disasters cannot simply be blamed on infrastructure works like the Char Dham road. He noted that cloudbursts and flash floods have also occurred in remote areas without significant development.
Dhami emphasized the importance of balancing economic growth with environmental protection. He highlighted major infrastructure initiatives, including the all-weather Char Dham road, Delhi–Dehradun Expressway, Rishikesh–Karnaprayag railway line, medical colleges, and improved air connectivity.
He also noted that his government has provided jobs to more than 35,000 youths over five years and introduced strict measures to prevent recruitment-related malpractice.
Regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Dhami supported the Election Commission’s efforts to remove names of deceased, shifted, and bogus voters.
Dhami addressed the Ankita Bhandari case and the political controversy around the Haldwani “purification” issue, rejecting Congress allegations and defending his government’s handling of both matters.
