An IAF helicopter was pressed into service on Saturday to douse raging forest fires in Uttarakhand’s Nainital district, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said.
The situation in the district took a turn for the worse on Friday when flames engulfed the High Court Colony in the Pines area.
An MI-17 helicopter collected water in a Bambi bucket from the Bhimtal lake and dumped it on burning forests in Pines, Bhumiadhar, Jyolikot, Narayan Nagar, Bhawali, Ramgarh and Mukteshwar areas of the district, officials said.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that all efforts are being made to bring the fires under control and it will be done soon. Dhami said he would hold a meeting with forest officials in Haldwani later in the day to review the situation. Three people were arrested in Rudraprayag on Friday for trying to set fire to forests.
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As many as 31 fresh cases of forest fires were reported from different parts of the state on Friday, which officials said destroyed 33.34 hectares of forest land.
A fire that broke out in a forest near Nainital took a frightening turn on Friday, posing a threat to the residents of High Court Colony. It also affected traffic in the area.
Apart from forest department personnel, army personnel are also involved in the efforts to control the fire. The district administration has banned boating on Naini Lake in view of the fire.
A total of 575 cases of forest fires have been reported in Uttarakhand since November 1 last year, affecting 689.89 hectares of forest area and costing the state more than Rs 14 crore.
