"Prevention of forest fires our top priority; cases registered and 3 arrested," says Uttarakhand DGP

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 4 (ANI): Director General of Police (DGP), Uttarakhand, Abhinav Kumar, said on Saturday that cases have been registered in nine districts and three people have been arrested in connection with forest fires in the state.
In accordance with a coordinated plan, the Police and Forest Departments will identify the areas impacted by forest fires and look into whether the flames started accidentally or on purpose, said the official.
The Uttarakhand DGP had a candid conversation with ANI on forest fires in the state and said, "It is to be noted that 70 per cent of Uttarakhand is covered with forests. This makes forest and wildlife protection a matter of top priority not only for the forest department but also for the police department."
"We have taken the issue of forest fires in various forests throughout the state extremely seriously, based on the information we have received about them this year," he said.
The DGP also said that high level meetings chaired by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami himself were conducted with regard to the forest blaze in the region.
"Meetings have been conducted regarding this under Chief Minister Dhami. Under a joint strategy, the Police Department and Forest Department will mark the regions affected by the forest fire and investigate if the fires were deliberately set up or took place due to carelessness," he said.
He said, "To date, cases have been registered in 9 districts and in one case, three accused have been arrested. The prevention of forest fires is a top priority for the police department.
"It is here to specify that if it is found that the forest fires were started due to carelessness or through deliberate actions, stringent actions will be taken against that person or group of persons," he said ahead.
He also said that the accused will be liable to account for the damages incurred to the forest resources and that they will be fined for the same.
"We are also working on specifically looking into the forest fires that fall on the Char Dham routes. In view of the upcoming pilgrimage yatra, forces will specialise their focus and take this up as a priority as well," said the DGP.
Earlier this week, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami stressed the need for advance preparations to deal with forest fire incidents in the state, noting that the responsibilities of all the senior officers from the headquarters should be fixed, as should the district officers and there should be complete control over it.
Amid incidents of forest fire reported in the state, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami convened a review meeting at Uttarakhand Sadan, New Delhi, on May 4.
The meeting focused on strategies to tackle forest fires, address the drinking water crisis, and ensure smooth preparations for the Chardham Yatra.
The state has recently witnessed an alarming increase in forest fires, prompting concerns about environmental safety and the impact on local communities.
As per reports, forest fires have become an annual feature and the change in weather conditions has resulted in soaring temperatures.
Uttarakhand starts experiencing forest fires in mid-February when the trees shed dry leaves and the soil loses moisture due to a temperature rise, and this continues till mid-June. (ANI)