Forest fires show no sign of ebbing in Dalhousie division

Naresh Thakur

Chamba, June 11

The forest fires, which are burning in the Dalhousie division, have shown no sign of subsiding, resulting in significant damage to trees and wildlife.

The fires have been raging for the past three days in the division. Now, these have spread near residential areas and are threatening both private and public properties.

On Monday, a fire broke out on the outskirts of Dalhousie, which saw quick growth due to strong winds, reaching near the office of the Public Works Department’s Executive Engineer and Divisional Forest Officer’s old office building.

Upon receiving information, SDM Anil Bhardwaj, along with his office staff, firefighters, Municipal Council’s vice president Sanjeev Pathania, civic body employees and officials of the Forest Department rushed to the scene to contain the blaze. However, containing the fire was a challenge for them due to thick smoke.

The narrow road to the spot created obstacles for fire tenders to reach their quickly. Thereafter, the fire department used small fire tenders and they had to make several rounds to refill water from a hydrant located at the Dalhousie Civil Hospital, nearly a km away from the spot.

Consequently, the fire spread to the office of PWD’s Executive Engineer, engulfing two rooms and destroying records. The fire was brought under control yesterday evening.

“The fire has gutted two rooms of the office and charred some documents. The extent of the damage will be assessed once the fire is completely extinguished,” said Executive Engineer Atul Verma.

Dalhousie Divisional Forest Officer Rajneesh Mahajan said miscreants often cause forest fires, which pose a danger to trees and wildlife. These also damage public property.

“There are strict legal provisions against igniting forest fires, with imprisonment up to seven years. The Forest Department is closely monitoring and identifying the offenders with the help of cameras and flying squads,” he added.

On Sunday, a forest fire in Dalhousie had reached near the Civil Hospital, prompting the authorities to shift the patients to a safe building.

Fire fighters from the Banikhet fire station, Indian Air Force officers, officials of the Jal Shakti Department and civic body employees made efforts to control the fire.

On Monday, the fire reached below Badhali village in the Bakloh area, forcing the villagers to make strenuous efforts to protect their houses. Fruit trees in a nearby orchard were gutted.

In a recent similar incident, a few wooden shops on the Pathankot-Chamba highway were damaged due to forest fires at Kandu, nearly 20 km from Chamba.

Himachal Pradesh’s ecology has suffered extensive damage. Till Tuesday afternoon, the state has witnessed 1,744 forest fires this season. Chamba district saw 109 forest fires, most of these were reported in the Dalhousie division.

Officials of the Forest Department in Dalhousie have booked a few persons for igniting forest fires. The department has also sent notices to many people for causing such fires. Forest rights of the offenders have also been suspended.