Remain vigilant about forest fires during summer: Sukhu

Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today said that considering the upcoming summer season, the Forest Department must remain vigilant about forest fires and take necessary steps to protect the green cover. He was speaking at a function to release a training manual for newly appointed ‘Van Mitras’ here.

The manual would be used to train ‘Van Mitras’ in forest fire management, department functioning, nursery management, various plantation programmes and overall forest management practices. The ‘Van Mitras’ would undergo training in their respective ranges from May 1 to 5. All Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) had been appointed as nodal officers for the training and they would monitor its progress as well.

Under the ‘Van Mitra’ recruitment programme, 1,896 of them had joined duty at various locations in the state. The Chief Minister said that the copies of the manual be distributed at training centres and to trainers promptly. He emphasised the need to provide high-quality training to ensure that ‘Van Mitras’ become well-versed with the department’s functioning and were able to discharge their duties effectively.

He also instructed the Forest Department to upload the training manual on its website for easy access by all ‘Van Mitras’. He said that he would interact with the newly appointed ‘Van Mitras’ after May 15. He added that the state government was making concerted efforts to strengthen the Forest Department by recruiting staff and providing modern equipment and technology. Arki MLA Sanjay Awasthi and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Sameer Rastogi were present on the occasion.