Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 23 Jan: District Magistrate Savin Bansal chaired a meeting of the District Level Forest Fire Management Committee here today. During the meeting, a comprehensive review was undertaken to strengthen preparedness, prevention and response mechanisms. DM Bansal also approved an allocation of Rs 45 lakhs on the spot for the procurement of essential forest fire management equipment.
Emphasising that the role of Van Panchayats and local communities is crucial in preventing forest fires, Bansal directed officials to formulate a practical and effective action plan based on public participation. He said that the committees constituted at the block and village panchayat levels must be activated and kept functional on a regular basis, with clear responsibility assigned for forest fire prevention. He stressed that active community involvement remains the most effective tool in reducing forest fire incidents.
The DM directed that extensive awareness programmes be organised at the village level with the participation of Van Panchayats, non-governmental organisations, youth groups and women’s self-help groups to sensitise people about the adverse impact of forest fires. He also issued special instructions to ensure heightened vigilance and awareness in Gujjar settlements located within reserved forest areas. He further directed that regular awareness programmes be conducted in schools to inculcate a sense of environmental responsibility and forest conservation among students from an early age.
For swift dissemination and exchange of information related to forest fires, Bansal ordered that wireless communication systems, crew stations and control rooms under the disaster management framework remain operational round-the-clock at all levels. He emphasised that forests are an invaluable natural heritage and protecting them is a collective responsibility, assuring that full financial support will be provided wherever required to prevent forest fires. He instructed departments including Revenue, Police, Fire Services, Jal Sansthan, Public Works Department, Electricity, Disaster Management and Telecommunications to work in close coordination throughout the fire season.
The DM also directed that adequate deployment of fire-fighting equipment, vehicles, communication systems and fire watchers be ensured at every crew station and that Patwari posts function as rapid response crew stations for forest fire prevention. He further instructed that training camps, mock drills and awareness activities be organised at every range level within forest divisions to enhance preparedness and response capacity.
Announcing an incentive-based approach, Bansal said Van Panchayats, local communities and individuals who actively cooperate in preventing forest fires would be rewarded. He appealed to the general public to actively participate in the forest conservation campaign and contribute towards protecting forests for future generations.
During the meeting, the Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) shared that Dehradun district has a total reserved forest area of 2,25,853.27 hectares comprising Sal, Pine, Cedar, Oak and Spruce forests. The district has five forest divisions, namely Kalsi, Chakrata, Mussoorie, Rajaji Tiger Reserve and Dehradun, of which Kalsi and Mussoorie are considered highly sensitive from a forest fire perspective. Data presented showed that forest fire incidents peaked in 2021 with 189 cases and in 2024 with 183 cases, while 59 incidents were reported in 2022, 50 in 2023 and 21 cases have been recorded so far in 2025.
He further shared that work is underway across divisions for the construction of fire lines, bridle paths, fire trails and motor roads, along with cleaning operations and controlled burning in sensitive and ultra-sensitive zones. A total of 127 crew stations have been established across the district. The administration is also carrying out extensive publicity to encourage people to immediately report any fire incidents to the nearest forest post, range office or crew station through the helpline number 1926, the Forest Fire Uttarakhand mobile application or the disaster control room number 1077.
The Divisional Forest Officer placed a demand for budgetary support for the procurement of vehicles, fuel, first-aid boxes, leaf blowers, water bottles, torches and other equipment for effective forest fire management, to which the District Magistrate assured full financial assistance to safeguard the district’s forests.
Among those present on the occasion were CDO Abhinav Shah, DFO Dehradun Neeraj Kumar, DFO Kalsi Mayank Garg, DFO Chakrata Vaibhav Kumar, DFO Mussoorie Amit Kanwar, Additional District Magistrate Krishna Kumar Mishra, OC Ceiling Smrita Parmar, Executive Engineer PWD Rajiv Kumar, Circle Officer Police Ankit Kandari, AC SDRF Sushil Rawat, SCF Sarita Bhatt, ACF Abhishek Maithani, DDAO Rishabh Kumar and other officials, several of whom joined through virtual mode.
