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Fire fighting operations are still underway to douse a massive wildfire that has been raging in a forest near the Budogi area of New Tehri district in Uttarakhand.
According to Koko Rose, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), Tehri Forest Department, the fire has spread to at least one hectare of land. "The damage caused by the fire will be assessed after the fire is under control. We are requesting people to not set fire in the forest, and if a person is caught doing that, legal action will be taken," said Rose. He said that Forest Department is also taking the help of police to douse the fire. Further details are awaited. Taking cognizance of increasing forest fire in the state, Uttarakhand High Court on April 6 ordered Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Rajiv Bhartari to appear before it. Expressing its displeasure with the state government, the court said that amid the COVID-19 pandemic, people are witnessing difficulty in breathing and the smoke of the forest fire can prove to be more deadly for them. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat on April 4 had called an emergency meeting over the forest fires in the state. (ANI)
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