Uttarakhand: 20 forest fire incidents reported in Rudraprayag, 15 hectares affected

Officials attributed the rising number of incidents to prolonged dry weather conditions and human negligence. Authorities also indicated that several fires appear to have been deliberately set.

Speaking to ANI, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Rajat Suman said that many of these fires are being deliberately set by individuals, leading to a rise in incidents.

He added that in some cases, accused individuals have already been apprehended, and further investigations are underway. Offenders could face financial penalties, jail terms of up to two years in severe cases, and additional legal consequences.

"We are taking the strictest possible action against those found involved in forest fire incidents. Under the Indian Forest Act, there is a provision for imprisonment of up to 6 months, and we are implementing that. Recently, we have also apprehended some individuals who have escaped from the South Chamoli Range, and the strictest possible action will be taken against them. Furthermore, action will be taken under the Disaster Management Act, which carries a punishment of up to 2 years, as well as sections of the BNS. Any person found involved in forest fires and other incidents that are occurring will face the strictest possible action," he adds.

DFO further added that so far, 20 cases have been recorded, affecting around 15 hectares of forest area. Strict action has been taken against the culprits.

"As we are seeing, the recent dry spell has dragged on for quite some time. Due to this, the temperature here is increasing a lot and during this time people are setting fires at many places and due to this a very worrying situation has arisen for us as well and during this time we have seen that around 20 such incidents have come to light, in which there are fires in our reserved forests, revenue forests and forest panchayat forests, in which an area of more than 15 hectares has been affected," he added. (ANI)