Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Monday that responsibility will be fixed of those officers who will be found responsible for the forest fires that have been raging across different districts in the state since Friday. The hill state reported as many as eight forest fires that have gutted 11.75 hectares, compared to the 23 such incidents damaging 34.175 hectares from Friday evening to Saturday evening, the forest department said in its daily bulletin.
The Indian Air Force is assisting the firefighting operations in the state bringing the blaze under control in several areas.
- CM Dhami said that help is being asked from all the institutions including the Army while locals are also being asked to cooperate in the firefighting operation. "We are asking for help from all the institutions including the Indian Army. The locals are also being asked to cooperate towards dousing the fire," said the CM speaking to news agency ANI.
- "The responsibility of the officers found responsible in this will also be fixed," said the CM.
- Fires raged at two to three places in in Nainital district and at one place each in Champawat, Almora, Pithoragarh and Bageshwar, said Kumaon's Chief Conservator of Forest Prasanna Kumar Patro, according to a PTI report.
- The fire that broke out in the forests of Ladiyakata and Pines area on Nainital-Bhowali road have been extinguished with the help of the IAF helicopter that was deployed on Saturday, he said.
- An IAF helicopter was used to put off the flames after the fire in Nainital reached dangerously close to the High Court Colony and the Air Force base containing sensitive equipment on Friday.
- Increased dryness due to heat wave in the lower areas of Champawat and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand bordering Nepal were attributed to the recent spike in forest fire incidents in Kumaon.