SC slams Uttarakhand, says state’s approach in controlling forest fires lackadaisical

New Delhi, May 15
Coming down hard on the Uttarakhand government, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday it was at pains to say that the state’s approach in controlling forest fires was “lackadaisical”.
A bench headed by Justice B R Gavai directed the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand to be present personally before it on May 17.
The bench, also comprising Justices SVN Bhatti and Sandeep Mehta, observed that though multiple action plans are prepared, no steps are taken for their implementation.
SC directs Uttarakhand Chief Secretary to personally appear before it on May 17 to explain the steps taken to deal with forest fires in the state.
A Bench led by Justice BR Gavai asked him to explain why Forest Department personnel were deployed in election duty despite an exemption given by the Election Commission.
The Bench also sought to know the reasons behind under utilisation of Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) funds.
The apex court also flagged the issue of huge vacancy in the forest department of the state and said the issue needs to be addressed.
The top court was hearing a plea on raging forest fires in Uttarakhand.