DM orders reformation of 275 forest panchayats in Dehradun to curb forest fires
PNS | DEHRADUN
The Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal appointed the sub-divisional magistrate Gaurav Chatwal as the nodal officer for the reformation of about 275 forest panchayats to prevent forest fires. He directed the SDM to complete the process by February 20 emphasising on the vital role of these panchayats in controlling forest fires.
In a meeting of the district fire safety committee on Wednesday, the DM issued instructions to control forest fires. He discussed the significant role of local forest panchayats and communities in preventing these fires and stated that the forest panchayats will receive all possible financial support. While serving as the DM of Nainital, Bansal had also activated forest panchayats to control forest fire incidents through their cooperation and community involvement. He reiterated the importance of increasing local engagement and called for public awareness campaigns to foster a sense of responsibility among the community.
The DM said that forest fires should be taken seriously during the fire season, urging both the Revenue and Forest departments to work in coordination to manage fire incidents effectively. He also announced that a 24/7 disaster control room will also be established by the Forest department on February 15 for quick information exchange during forest fire incidents. The divisional forest officer also informed the DM in the meeting that continuous awareness programmes are being conducted to prevent and control forest fires. He also mentioned the launch of the Forest Fire Uttarakhand mobile app through which the public can report forest fire incidents.
Padma Shri awardee and a member of the committee Kalyan Singh Rawat also suggested conducting training and awareness programmes at the grassroots and school levels to connect the community with water and forests. Environmentalist and committee member Vinod Prasad recommended verifying the identity of outsiders living near forest areas to prevent unauthorised activities that could lead to fire hazards.
