Four persons have been arrested in connection with the forest fires in Uttarakhand and are being questioned, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said on Monday. The Hindu , however, could confirm only three arrests, with B.P. Gupta, the nodal officer for forest fires in Kumaon and Garhwal regions, saying that two of those apprehended were from Nainital district and the third from Pithoragarh district.
“Four youth have been arrested, they were caught setting fires … we are still investigating if they are connected with the timber mafia but the point is nearly 90% of the fires has been put out and Uttarakhand should be completely out of danger in the next two days,” Mr. Javadekar said on the sidelines of a press event.
He said high temperatures, along with manmade activities, were responsible for the fires.
Fires this year have ravaged at least 2,000 hectares of forests in Uttarakhand and there are now reports of fresh fires in Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
Some of the fires are said to have been caused by farmers who traditionally burn vegetation to induce fresh growth of grass.
“We need to spread more awareness among people and tell them that such activities are destructive,” Mr. Javadekar added.
Constable diesAs many as 363 fresh forest fires were reported across Uttarakhand on Monday — double the number reported on Sunday — even as three IAF choppers and a heavy on-ground deployment fought the raging flames. A police constable died of injuries sustained during the operations. The constable, 26-year-old Pankaj Chauhan, was putting out fire spreading across a hill near the Chamoli market when a stone hit him on the head.
“He was taken to the hospital but he succumbed to his injuries,” Chamoli District Magistrate Vinod Kumar Suman said.
Nearly 6,000 personnel are in the process of dousing the flames with water drawn from the Bhimtal lake.
Three IAF choppers continued operations in Uttarakhand, ferrying water to the areas under fire.
While two choppers operated around Nainital, another remained in service in areas around Srinagar in Garhwal.
