Lucknow: With the change in weather, the Forest Department has completed preparations to prevent forest fires following instructions from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Chief Minister has directed senior Forest Department officials to remain prepared in advance to ensure that incidents of forest fires do not occur during the summer season.
To monitor and prevent such incidents, control rooms have been established at the headquarters, divisional level, and at the zonal and regional offices of the Chief Conservator of Forests. Fire control cells set up at the state headquarters have already begun functioning.
A total of 116 fire control cells have been established across the state at the divisional, circle, zonal and headquarters levels. These cells will operate round the clock. Staff will be deployed in three shifts - from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM, from 2:00 PM to 10:00 PM, and from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. To ensure there is no negligence or delay in response, all information received from various forest ranges will be recorded in registers and immediate action will be taken to address the issue.
Common citizens can also report fire-related incidents. Information received from districts will be immediately forwarded by district officials to the control cell at the headquarters.
For the convenience of the public, helpline numbers have been issued in Lucknow: 0522-2977310, 0522-2204676, 9651368060, 7017112077, where information related to forest fires can be provided.
Similar local helpline numbers will also be made available in other districts for citizens and officials of different departments. On the website of the Forest Survey of India, Dehradun (fsi.nic.in), 3,792 officials, employees, and citizens from the state have registered to receive forest fire alert information.
The forest fire season in the state is considered to last until June 15. Based on fire incidents in previous years, several divisions have been categorized as highly sensitive and moderately sensitive, including:
Chitrakoot, Sonbhadra, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Katarniaghat Wildlife Division, Bahraich, Maharajganj, Dudhwa National Park, North Kheri, South Kheri, Balrampur, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Gonda, Gorakhpur, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Lalitpur, Banda, Hamirpur, Varanasi, and Kaimur Wildlife Division.
Forest fire mock drills have already been conducted in these areas. In sensitive districts, district-level committees have also been formed under the chairmanship of the District Magistrate.
In accordance with the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, all preparations for forest fire control have been completed. Instructions have been issued that any information regarding fire incidents at the divisional level must be immediately reported to the headquarters. For the convenience of the public, helpline numbers have also been issued at the headquarters level.
To ensure water availability for wildlife inside forest areas, permanent water holes are being constructed and old ones are being repaired and regularly filled with water. Watch towers are also being constructed inside forest areas, and maintenance of existing watch towers is being carried out.
Aditi Sharma, Chief Conservator of Forests (Publicity & Outreach), Uttar Pradesh.
