Setting forests on fire will attract Gangster Act: Uttarakhand Chief Secretary

"After the culprits are booked under the Gangster Act, their property will be attached and auctioned and the money will go to the state exchequer," Uttarakhand Chief Secretary said.

As forest fires continue to devastate parts of Uttarakhand, Chief Secretary Radha Raturi on Tuesday said those who set up forests on fire will be booked under the Gangster Act, and their property will be attached and auctioned. She also said some regions of Kumaon have experienced rainfall, and forest fires have cooled down in certain parts.

She added that the authorities are vigilant and the Chief Minister is closely monitoring the situation. It is expected that the fire will be extinguished within a week. "We had a detailed meeting on the forest fire and held a compliance. All departments are actively participating in dousing the forest fire... Those who set up forests on fire will be booked under the Gangster Act because they are causing severe damage to the ecology of the state and the country," she told ANI after a high-level review meeting regarding forest fire incidents in the state at the State Secretariat in Dehradun.

"Alerts received today show a better picture. Some areas of Kumaon have received rainfall as a result of which forest fire has cooled down in certain parts. We are alert and the CM is monitoring the situation. We expect the fire to be doused within a week," she said. "After the culprits are booked under the Gangster Act, their property will be attached and auctioned and the money will go to the state exchequer," she added.

Meanwhile, four people were arrested for allegedly setting fire in the Gangolihat range forest in the Pithoragarh district of Uttarakhand. The accused were identified as Piyush Singh, Ayush Singh, Rahul Singh and Ankit.

According to the Sarpanch of Jakhani Upreti and Bhandari villages informed that the four accused had set fire in the Gangolihat range forest on May 3. Based on their information, an FIR has been lodged against the above four and legal action is being taken under the sections of the Forest Act.

Earlier, the Indian Air Force said that so far, over 4500 litres of water have been used to douse the fire at Pauri Garhwal sector in Uttrakhand. "In response to the raging forest fires at Pauri Garhwal sector in Uttrakhand, IAF provided much-needed relief by undertaking Bambi Bucket ops by its Mi17 V5 helicopters. Over 4500 litres of water was used to douse the fires in close coordination with the Uttarakhand government. The swift action by #IAF enabled the firefighting crew on the ground to penetrate and douse fires in a more efficient manner," the IAF said in a post on Tuesday morning. (ANI)

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