NGT issues notices to Centre, Uttarakhand as wildfires rage

DEHRADUN: Taking suo motu cognisance of reports published in TOI about the unabated wildfire proliferating across Uttarakhand, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, principal chief conservator of forests, Uttarakhand, and chairman and chief executive officer of the State Disaster Management Authority.The NGT has impleaded all of them as respondents in the case and has directed them to file a detailed affidavit before the next hearing scheduled for July 19.
The news report highlighted forest fires raging in Nainital. The situation escalated and the Indian Air Force had to deploy a chopper to douse flames using water from Bhimtal lake. NGT said the case is filed suo motu on the basis of the TOI report 'IAF helicopter roped in to douse fire in Nainital as situation worsens in district' on April 27.
The NGT added, "The news pertains to the rampant forest fires in Nainital. As per the article, the conflagration has now reached the HC colony in Pines area. To mitigate the situation, an Indian Air Force M-17 helicopter utilised a Bambi bucket to collect water from Bhimtal lake and subsequently poured it over the blazing forests in various areas of the district, including Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar."
NGT bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad said the TOI report elucidated that 31 new incidents of wildfire were reported in the state, resulting in devastation of 33.3 hectares of forest land.

"The news discloses that since Nov 1 last year, Uttarakhand has reported 575 incidents of fire, impacting 689.8 ha of forest land. The news raises an issue relating to compliance with environmental norms, especially adherence to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986," the NGT noted.
Dehradun: Taking suo motu cognisance of reports published in TOI about the unabated wildfire proliferating across Uttarakhand, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, principal chief conservator of forests, Uttarakhand, and chairman and chief executive officer of the State Disaster Management Authority. The NGT has impleaded all of them as respondents in the case and has directed them to file a detailed affidavit before the next hearing scheduled for July 19.

The news report highlighted forest fires raging in Nainital. The situation escalated and the Indian Air Force had to deploy a chopper to douse flames using water from Bhimtal lake. NGT said the case is filed suo motu on the basis of the TOI report 'IAF helicopter roped in to douse fire in Nainital as situation worsens in district' on April 27.
The NGT added, "The news pertains to the rampant forest fires in Nainital. As per the article, the conflagration has now reached the HC colony in Pines area. To mitigate the situation, an Indian Air Force M-17 helicopter utilised a Bambi bucket to collect water from Bhimtal lake and subsequently poured it over the blazing forests in various areas of the district, including Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar."
NGT bench comprising Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad said the TOI report elucidated that 31 new incidents of wildfire were reported in the state, resulting in devastation of 33.3 hectares of forest land.
"The news discloses that since Nov 1 last year, Uttarakhand has reported 575 incidents of fire, impacting 689.8 ha of forest land. The news raises an issue relating to compliance with environmental norms, especially adherence to the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986," the NGT noted.