Members of religious and social organisations have threatened to initiate agitation if the State Government and Forest department do not take concrete measures to mitigate the loss to environment and wildlife being caused by forest fires and the forest mafia in Uttarakhand. According to Gopal Das of Jal Jungle Jameen Sena, a letter will be written in blood to the President of India to elicit his attention to the situation in the State.
A delegation of JJJS has written to the Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and met the principal chief conservator of forests RBS Rawat in Dehradun on Friday on the issue. Talking to The Pioneer, Das said that Uttarakhand has more than 12,000 Van Panchayats and crores of rupees are spent on protection of the forests and wildlife, but the desired results are not being seen.
"We want a review of the measures planned by the Government and the Forest Department to tackle forest fires in the State this year. Inspite of the available resources and substantial money being spent, the damage caused by forest fires and the forest mafia is not a minor issue, but a result of rampant corruption in the department and Government machinery," he said.
Following the meet with the PCCF, Das said that they were not satisfied with the response of the department head. The organisations want responsibility to be fixed for the damage caused by forest fires and also want the department to make public the information about the measures planned to ensure security of the forests and wildlife. They stress that ensuring the protection of environment in Uttarakhand is not just a matter of environmental concern or religious faith, but an issue which directly affects the existence of people even beyond the State.
Presently, the organisations have adopted a wait and watch approach to see what the authorities do to address their concerns. However, if the department fails to act as desired in the near future, the organisations will initiate an agitation which will involve members of the religious fraternity from across India and social organisations, Das said.