Uttarakhand forest fire: Choppers fly in to douse flames

Nearly 6,000 personnel have been deployed to douse the fire

Tourism has been hit in Uttarakhand in the wake of the raging forest fires.

Three IAF choppers fitted with Bambi buckets to carry water have been deployed. Besides, as many as 6,000 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force, state police, forest staff and volunteers have been deployed to douse the fire. The situation is under control now, according to a home ministry spokesperson. Home Minister Rajnath Singh reviewed the situation from New Delhi.

The estimated drop in tourists was at least 30 per cent at forest centres, particularly at the Corbett Tiger Reserve and the Rajaji National Park, officials said. So far, five people have been killed (including three women and a child) and about 2,200 hectares of forests have been burnt in the Kumaon and Garhwal regions.

A prolonged dry spell is said to be the main reason for the inferno, though authorities also referred to a possible "sabotage" in some areas. Forest fires are usual during summer but this time it has occurred on a bigger scale.

Chief Secretary Shatrughan Singh and Additional Chief Secretary (Forests) S Ramaswami told this newspaper the fires were slowly coming under control. The forest department is doubling the number of personnel deployed for dousing the flames, from 3,000 to 6,000. Pauri, Tehri and Nainital are the worst-hit, due to thick and highly flammable pine and sal trees.

K K Paul, the state's governor (it is under President's Rule), has convened a series of meetings to take stock of the situation. All agencies have been asked to come to the forest department's aid.