After being in election mode for a month in view of the Lok Sabha elections, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami came into action mode on Saturday. As soon as he returned from the Kumaon region, the Chief Minister reviewed the steps being taken to prevent forest fires in a meeting with state level officials of the Forest Department and Divisional Forest Officers. He bluntly said that in case of fire in any forest area, the responsibility of the concerned officer will be fixed. Besides, instructions were also given to nominate nodal officers at the Divisional Forest Officer level in all the districts. The Chief Minister also indicated to hold a meeting soon regarding Char Dham Yatra, drinking water system and preparations to deal with monsoon.
Forest fire is no less than a big challenge for the state.
Chief Minister Dhami remained active throughout the state during the Lok Sabha elections. On Friday, he had reached Khatima under Kumaon region to vote. As soon as he reached Dehradun on Saturday, he held a meeting of forest officials at his residence regarding forest fire prevention. He said that forest fire in summer is no less than a big challenge for the state. In such a situation, nodal officers from state to district level should make microplans and start working effectively on fire prevention plans.
He said that the officers should make it their priority that first of all no incident of fire occurs in the forests, if any fire is reported then they should immediately take responsible steps for prevention. Along with nominating nodal officers in all the districts, he directed to make the general public aware by issuing helplines and toll free numbers and giving them wide publicity. He also stressed on taking cooperation from local residents, public representatives and forest panchayats in forest fire prevention. The Chief Minister also said that if anyone is found involved in deliberately setting fire in the forests, strict action should be taken against him. Principal Secretary Forest RK Sudhanshu gave information about the steps taken to prevent forest fires in the state through a presentation. In the meeting, the use of pine leaves i.e. Pirul and stopping the menace of monkeys in populated areas were also discussed. Head of Forest Department, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr. Anup Malik, Chief Forest Conservator Forest Panchayat Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Special Secretary Dr. Parag Madhukar Dhakate were present in the meeting, while Divisional Forest Officers joined the meeting through virtual medium.
Get public problems resolved promptly
The Chief Minister also told the officials to ensure timely resolution of every problem of the public and no negligence will be tolerated in this. He also asked the officers to come fully prepared to the meetings and also asked the subordinates to come out of their election busyness and get involved in routine work. He said that in this state with uneven geography, the government machinery will have to remain alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on issues of public concern and be ready to solve them.
Wildfires (so far this year)
Area, incidents, affected areas
Garhwal, 161, 175.4
Kumaon, 176, 218.47
Wildlife Conservation, 36, 42.55
(Note: Incidences are in numbers and area in hectares)
