Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has expressed deep grief over the death of four forest workers due to forest fire in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary of Almora. He has directed to give an ex-gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each to the relatives of the deceased. The Chief Minister said that the four other burnt forest workers should be immediately airlifted and sent to Haldwani Base Hospital. The Chief Minister said that this incident is very heart-wrenching and in this hour of grief, the entire Uttarakhand government stands with the relatives of the forest workers. He said that the seriously injured should be airlifted from Haldwani to AIIMS, Rishikesh for treatment as per requirement.
The government is keeping a close watch on the incident
Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal has ordered Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr Dhananjay Mohan to investigate the incident within 15 days. He has asked to include complete information regarding the cause of fire, role of officers responsible for the incident and insurance of firewatcher in the investigation. Chief Minister’s Special Secretary Parag Madhukar Dhakate said that the government is keeping a close watch on the incident. As per the instructions of the Chief Minister, the injured personnel are being airlifted to Haldwani. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami held a high-level meeting with the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary and Chief Forest Conservator late in the evening regarding the fire in Binsar Wildlife Sanctuary. He directed to spray water on the forest area using helicopters and other necessary resources with the help of the Air Force for immediate control of the fire and to control the fire as soon as possible.
