Uttarakhand: Forest department is serious about forest fire during Chardham Yatra, prepared an action plan, instructed to form QRT

While all the departments are busy in the necessary preparations for the Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand, the Forest Department has also prepared its action plan to keep the forests and devotees safe during the travel season. Under this, special monitoring has been arranged on the travel routes. Along with this, a plan has been made to keep the forests safe on the travel route through public awareness.

Forest department employees will also be seen in alert mode on the Chardham Yatra route in the state. The department has decided to deploy separate forest personnel for this. So that on one hand the forests can be saved on the travel routes during the travel season. Along with this, the devotees can also be provided a safe journey. At present, the Forest Department is concerned about the increasing cases of forest fires. In such a situation, more precaution is being taken on the travel routes during the travel season.

Instructions to form QRT team

The Uttarakhand Forest Department, in the action plan, gave instructions to ensure the arrangement of adequate resources and crew members in the model crew station under the Chardham Yatra routes. Apart from this, instructions were also given to form a Quick Response Team (QRT) at a distance of every 20 kilometers on the travel route itself. The forest department has deployed four additional fire watchers along with regular personnel to operate mobile crew teams 24 hours a day on the Yatra route.

Ban on burning stubble

Not only will the forest department employees be present with various preparations on the Chardham Yatra route. But they will also coordinate with the owners of hotels, dhabas, shops and many other people to make them aware about forest fire. During this time, there will be absolutely no permission to burn stubble (weeds, dry leaves, bushes) on agricultural land. While the department is also widely promoting the helpline number 1926.

Devotees go towards the forests

With the increase in temperature in the state, incidents of forest fire are also increasing. On one hand, preparations for forest fire were claimed to be completed before the fire season across the state, while now separate arrangements are being made on the Yatra routes before the Chardham Yatra begins. This is also considered necessary because many times pilgrims go to forests during the pilgrimage and during this time the risk of forest fire increases.