Harish Rawat govt failed to prevent forest fires: BJP

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, May 4

Uttarakhand BJP president Ajay Bhatt today blamed the previous Congress Government for failing to take adequate measures to prevent forest fires raging in the state.

Bhatt, while addressing a press conference here today, said the Harish Rawat government was responsible for the forest fires. “The government did not pay attention towards reformulating the fire line and splurged the Budget allocated for taking such measures,” he said.

The Central Government had given funds under various heads for taking protective measures but these had not been utilised.

“The prevention of forest fire can only take place if adequate measures are taken in the months prior to the fire season, ie in December and January, but the Rawat government failed to act,” he added.