Uttarakhand forest fires: Governor allocates more personnel to douse flames

Dehradun: Uttarakhand Governor KK Paul, Friday, allocated 3000 more personnel to double the number of those fighting the flames to 6000.

The Governor took the decision at an Advisory Council meeting that was convened to look into ways to address the problems of forest fires and drought in the state.

It has also been decided that in every district, 100 PRD personnel will be posted for the safety of revenue forests. This number may be increased later, an official release here said.

It was decided that Rs 5 crore would be released for buying fire control equipment from SDRF. Tankers will be sent to provide water in wildlife parks and DMs have been instructed to arrange for extra tankers according to the requirement in their respective districts.

All officials concerned have been directed to work under an action plan on a war footing to deal with forest fires and drought conditions. For immediate relief, tankers should be arranged and on a long term basis, traditional water sources should be revived and preserved, it was directed. The Governor said all directions given till now about forest fires must be followed strictly.

All Van panchayats, mahila mangal dals, self help groups and yuvak mangal dals must be active and support the efforts to check forest fires. Police and homeguard personnel have already been activated.

It was also decided that other departments should also work in coordination with each other to check forest fires. A strict watch be kept on elements who are involved in illegal felling in the forests.

Van panchayats and home guards can help in doing this, the Governor said. Any negligence in following the directions given for checking forest fires and for providing potable water will not be allowed, he said.