Uttarakhand forest fires under control: Javadekar

New Delhi, May 2

Forest fires in Uttarakhand have been brought under control with the number of places affected by the blaze having coming down from 1,200 to 60 and four persons have been arrested for allegedly igniting fire in Pauri, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

Strict action will be taken against those indulging in such activities, he said.

He said that an alert has also been issued to all states having jungles to prevent such incidents.

"Fire has been brought under control. There were fires at more than 1,200 places earlier. Today it is in less than 60 places. That will also be brought under control.”

"I have spoken to the Governor of the state as well. Four people were arrested yesterday in Pauri who were trying to ignite fire. A full enquiry will take place. We will take strict action. An alert has been issued to all states which have jungles," Javadekar told reporters.

Due to the raging fire, forests in 3185.45 hectares have been blighted since February 2.

Javadekar said the fires have been controlled through coordinated efforts of the Centre and around 6000 workers on the ground.

"We give fire alerts everyday. Many places, residents for farming start controlled fire. We monitor that. We are also preparing an awareness campaign for that," Javadekar said.

According to Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) S Ramaswamy, there are only 40 active fires in the state on Tuesday in comparison to Monday's 73, which is an "encouraging sign".

He said it shows the situation is gradually getting under control. "Today, there were 271 incidents of forest fires in the state out of which 232 have been extinguished," he said.

The Union Environment minister also pitched for spreading awareness to prevent recurrence of such incidents.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event, Javadekar said: "Here is a need for public awareness to prevent jungle fire. Just to have new grass or crop, one should not put jungle to fire".

He said it is not uncommon to see wildfires in April and May.

"Sometime these are caused by the people staying nearby. But there are cases when these are caused due to the smoking of cigarettes."

Praising the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Home Ministry for their effort in controlling fires in Uttarakhand, he said both are coordinating to control the situation. Even Defence and NDRF have also come forward to help forest department to douse the fire."

Asked if the timber mafia had any role in forest fire, he said four people were arrested today and it is yet to be ascertained whether they are involved in timber smuggling.

On the pollution level in Delhi, he said it has not deteriorated today but long time back. We have taken several steps to curb pollution in the city.

Asked about the fate of the drivers affected by the court order banning diesel taxis in the city, he said: "The matter is sub-judice I will not comment but my heart is with those taxi drivers. One should not snatch away the employment opportunity in just one day. Pollution is also caused by dust particles. Pollution is also caused by biomass burning. There are many reasons for pollution and one should address them". — PTI