Forest fires- repeat offenders to be booked under Gangster Act, property to be seized
IAF chopper brought in again to help douse wildfires
Tuesday, 07 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Those who are found to be indulging in causing forest fires repeatedly will also be booked under the Gangster Act and action will also be taken to seize their property. Under the standard operating procedure formed for tackling forest fires, action will first be taken under the Forest Act and Wildlife Act. Along with this, action will also be taken against the recently enacted Public Private Property Damage Recovery Act. The officiating director general of police Abhinav Kumar said this in a meeting chaired by the chief secretary Radha Raturi on Monday to seek an update on action taken on the directions issued by chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to tackle forest fires in the State. Meanwhile, the authorities roped in an Indian Air Force helicopter to help douse forest fires in the Dom Srikot area of Garhwal. The chopper lifted water using a Bambi bucket from the Alaknanda river to tackle the wildfire.
In the meeting chaired by Raturi, officials stated that the range officer of Jaurasi in Almora forest division has been attached to the office of the divisional forest office for negligence in controlling forest fires. Raturi directed the chief conservator of forests of Garhwal, Kumaon and wildlife conservation areas to take strict action against personnel found negligent towards controlling forest fires. She said that the State nodal officer of forest fires and disaster management is regularly monitoring forest fire incidents. Forest fire alerts received are being shared on official WhatsApp groups and passed on to the crew team concerned to ensure the minimum response time. Raturi said that the assistance of active Van Panchayats, forest fire management committees, Mahila/Yuva Mangal Dals should be taken in tackling forest fires.
The chief secretary further said that the Disaster Management department has allocated a budget of Rs five crore to each district magistrate for controlling forest fires. The entire team of the district magistrates including the district disaster management officer, divisional forest officer, police officers and fire watchers are involved at the ground level to check forest fires, she averred. Members of Mahila/Yuva Mangal Dal, self help groups, volunteers, home guards and PRD personnel will also be deployed for this task. The Disaster Management department will soon procure small water tankers which will be used to feed portable pumps in higher mountainous regions to extinguish forest fires, Raturi said.
The officiating director general of police Abhinav Kumar said that standard operating procedure have been drafted for action against the guilty by a joint team of the Forest department officials, sub divisional magistrate and the local police in places where forest fires are reported. Under the SOP, action will first be taken under the Forest Act and Wildlife Act. Along with this, action will also be taken against the recently enacted Public Private Property Damage Recovery Act. Those who are found to be indulging in such actd repeatedly will also be booked under the Gangster Act and action will also be taken to seize their property. He said that FIRs have been lodged against 13 people so far in forest fire incidents. Four of these people have been arrested, he added.
