Forest Fire: NGT Issues Show Cause Notice to Himachal, Uttarakhand
NGT asks Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) what all has been done by the to control the situation.
Mercury dipped as heavy rains and hailstorm lashed the capital of Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.
The weather department on Monday had forecasted light to moderate rains, squall and hailstorms at some places in the hill states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during this week.
While the rains are likely to come as a relief to the state facing unprecedented forest fires, a warning has been sounded for the squall and hail.
Voicing concern over the forest fires raging in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the National Green Tribunal on Tuesday said it was shocked that everybody was treating the issue “so casually” and issued show cause notices to both the states.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice, Swatanter Kumar asked the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) what all has been done by the ministry to control the situation.
Responding to the query, the counsel appearing for MoEF said that entire team of officials concerned was working on the issues and choppers of Indian Air Force (IAF) have also been deployed in the ongoing firefighting operations.
To this, the bench asked Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh state governments, “What is your preparedness to prevent such incidents?” The bench added that the concerned secretaries would file their affidavits in this regard on the next date of hearing on 10 May.
The green panel also directed the state governments to inform it about the preventive steps taken by them prior to the fire incident and also about the forest management plans. “We want to know the cause of fire,” the bench said.
The observations came while the NGT was hearing arguments on the petition filed by an NGO against alleged “unregulated” operation of rafting camps in Rishikesh and other areas on the banks of river Ganga.
Massive forest fires have engulfed a large part of areas in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh.
In Uttarakhand, two IAF choppers and over 10,000 personnel have been deployed in the firefighting operations.
The Centre has claimed that situation in the state was “under control”although forest area of over 3000 hectares have been blighted in Uttarakhand due to the fire.
Fires in Uttarakhand could lead to glaciers melting faster which feed many rivers which act as lifelines flowing through the Northern Indian Plains, according to the Times of India.
Experts say ‘black carbon’ from the smog and ash is covering the glaciers, making them more prone to melting.
(With agency inputs.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)