SC slams Uttarakhand for ‘lackadaisical' approach in controlling forest fires

The Supreme Court has expressed its dissatisfaction with the Uttarakhand government’s efforts to control forest fires, describing the state’s approach as “lackadaisical”.

The court has summoned the state’s chief secretary to appear in person on May 17 to provide explanations, including on the use of funds and vacancies in the forest department.

The court, led by Justice B R Gavai, has ordered that forest department staff and vehicles should not be used for election purposes or other events such as the ‘Char Dham Yatra’. The bench, which also includes Justices SVN Bhatti and Sandeep Mehta, criticised the state for failing to implement action plans to control the fires.

During a hearing on the ongoing forest fires in Uttarakhand, the bench questioned why only Rs 3.41 crore of the Rs 9.12 crore sanctioned by the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) for forest-related activities in Uttarakhand in 2023-24 was used. The court also questioned why the remaining funds were not used for forestry.