Tuesday, 07 MAY 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara has said that the raging forest fires in the mountains of the State have exposed the failure of the State government. He said that every year the forests get ravaged by fire at the start of the summer season but the government has failed to devise a plan to control these fires. He averred that at present 95 per cent of the forests in the mountainous areas of the State are affected by fires due to which the forest wealth worth crores of rupees has been damaged and the wildlife is being destroyed. Mahara said that no effort is being made by the State government and the Forest department to save the burning forests of Uttarakhand. The existence of wild life, forests, water resources and even glaciers is threatened by the forest fires, he said.
Citing examples of Dunagiri and Adidhura temples affected by the forest fires, the PCC president said that it appears that even the gods are unhappy at the failure of the State government. He alleged that while the forests are being destroyed by the fire, the officers of the Forest department are sitting in their offices and making policies. The government is not taking any steps to prevent forest fires.
The PCC president further said that the government should prepare a strong strategy to tackle forest fires and the forest officers should be held accountable. The people of the State should be given forest rights and the Van Panchayats should be activated. Mahara added that the government should make use of helicopters to control forest fires.
