Nainital forest fire: CM holds review meet, forest officers' leaves cancelled | Updates

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on Saturday held a review meeting with the Kumaon division officials to discuss the forest fire situation in Nainital. At the meeting, the CM issued directives to the officials to combat the wildfire. The meeting was held in Haldwani following a massive fire in the Ladiyakata area of the Nainital Air Force centre on Friday.

However, instructions were provided on not calling officers engaged in dousing efforts for the meeting until the forest fire was contained.

Nainital MLA Sarita Arya, commissioner of Kumaon Deepak Rawat, district magistrate Vandana and other senior officials of the forest and police department were present at the review meeting.

According to an official release, “Chief Minister Dhami reviewed the efforts to prevent forest fire with the officials of Kumaon Division at the Forest Training Academy Haldwani and gave strict instructions to the officers to prevent the forest fires.”

Earlier, the CM also assessed the situation by conducting an aerial survey of the areas affected by the fire.

Here are the top 10 updates:

• At the review meeting, Dhami said that all other departments besides the forest department should remain on alert while efforts were underway to tackle the forest fire.
• The chief minister said the information system should be strengthened to prevent forest fires, and a quick response team should be made available.
• As per the CM's instructions, concerned officers were directed to remain alert at all times. The forest officers were restricted from going on leaves.
• CM Dhami said the Army was also assisting the region in combatting the fire and maintained that strict action would be taken against those found guilty of setting fire to the forests.
• Earlier in the day, the Indian defence forces, including the Army and Air Force, were pressed into service following forest fires in Uttarakhand. The Kumaon region remained the worst hit.
• The IAF deployed MI-17 helicopters to assist the firefighting efforts. These helicopters scooped water from the Naini and Bhimtal lake to quell the blaze, resulting in a temporary halt to boating activities in the lake.
• The blaze came dangerously close to the houses in the colony and an army cantonment, which is around five kilometres away from the Pines.
• State forest minister Subodh Uniyal said all DFOs are in the field to ensure the fires are effectively controlled.
• Nainital district magistrate Vandana Singh also imposed a ban on the construction of houses and car washing until the situation was brought under control. Singh asked for emergency meetings to be held in each gram Sabha to educate people not to light garbage on fire.
  

According to officials, as many as 31 fresh forest fires were reported from various parts of the state on Friday, destroying 33.34 hectares of forest land.

(With inputs from ANI, PTI)