Dehradun Admin to fund Van Panchayats for wildfire prevention

PIONEER NEWS SERVICE | Dehradun
The Dehradun district administration will allocate funds from the disaster relief fund to Van Panchayats for wildfire prevention. The officials claimed that this will be the first time in the State when a district will allocate funds to Van Panchayats from the disaster relief fund.
The Dehradun district magistrate Savin Bansal will participate in a conclave of newly formed Van Panchayats at Chirimiri Top, Chakrata on March 19. As part of this initiative, he will also attend a meeting of representatives from 200 newly established Van Panchayats at Koti Kanasar.
The officials informed that funds will be utilised to strengthen Van Panchayats, implement fire prevention measures and enhance the capacity of fire watchers. With this step, the administration aims to reduce forest fire incidents and improve local forest management during summer season.
They informed that at the event in Koti Kanasar, the DM will engage with Van Panchayat representatives and consider their suggestions. This initiative is expected to contribute to forest conservation and increase community participation in forest management, they said.