Pauri district magistrate Chandra Shekhar Bhatt asked all the officers concerned to take necessary steps to avert any disaster like situation during the upcoming monsoon season. He said that these steps must be taken well before the onset of the monsoon. He gave these instructions while monitoring things related to the rain-triggered damages and forest fire in Pauri on Tuesday.
Bhatt said that the rescue work during the forest fire could not have been possible without the cooperation of the villagers. He stressed on the villagers be taken on board to adequately deal with any kind of disaster that might befall the district.
He also instructed them to felicitate the gram panchayats for the pains they have taken to douse the raging forest fire. “Similarly, the individuals-both women and men- who have played major roles on the matter should also be felicitated,” he said. Several forest officers of the division put their suggestions on how to better things at the meeting.
The monitoring meeting was attended among others by the officers from forest department, police and fire brigade.
DM sounded annoyed over the information of the forest fire not being passed on to district disaster control room from the tehsil concerned. He directed the sub-divisional magistrates to make it a point to pass on such information in time to the control room.
Bhatt said that the danger of the forest fire is not over yet. “The departments concerned should not lower guard,” he said.
Senior superintendent of police Nivedita Kukreti, chief development officer Vijay Kumar, ADM Ramjee Saran, D FO Garhwal division Ramesh Chandra, DFO civil soyam laxman Singh and SDM of Chaubattakhal were among others present at the meeting.