CM Pushkar Singh : To tackle the challenges of forest fires in the state, the upcoming plans should be prepared keeping in mind the problems encountered in the past incidents. Public participation in forest fire control should be given priority and the cooperation of all departments as well as social organizations, NGOs, Mahila Mangal Parties, Yuvak Mangal Parties and Van Panchayats should be taken. Strict action should be taken against the anti-social elements who set fire to the forests.
These instructions were given by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami to the officials during a mock drill organized by the State Disaster Management Authority in collaboration with the National Disaster Management Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority for forest fire control at IT Park in Dehradun on Thursday.
CM Pushkar Singh said that all the departments will have to work in coordination for effective control of forest fires. He directed the Additional Chief Secretary Mr. R.K. Sudhanshu to issue instructions to ensure participation of all departments. Apart from the Shitalakhet model, effective measures like chalkhal, talaya and others should be adopted to prevent forest fires and the cooperation of the Water Resources Department should be taken. At the same time, special attention should be paid to the use of modern technologies.
CM Pushkar Singh said that the state faces serious challenges due to forest fires, which also cause damage to forest wealth and animal life. To prevent this, wide-scale awareness campaigns should be conducted and innovations should be encouraged. He also appealed to the people of the state to play an active role in preventing forest fires.
The mock drill, conducted jointly, identified 16 locations in six districts where exercises were carried out to address various situations arising out of forest fires, reduce response time, enhance public cooperation and other effective measures. The Chief Minister said that such mock drills will help in getting control during the actual disaster.
Further, he expressed gratitude to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs for providing the state with modern equipment for forest fire prevention. On this occasion, Deputy Commissioner Ramvir, SDM Sangrur Yashpal Sharma, Assistant Commissioner (UT) Devdarshdeep Singh, EO Ramesh Kumar, all local Congress leaders, and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.