Fire engulfs Zabarwan range, authorities clueless

‘Lack of coordination between deptts vandalize forests’

ARIF SHAFI WANI

Srinagar, Mar 16: While a major fire overnight engulfed a large area of forests in the Zabarwan range overlooking the highly fortified Badami Bagh cantonment, officials of the Wildlife and Forest departments not only pass the buck on each other over jurisdiction of the affected area, but also blame Army for keeping the fragile zone “out of bounds.” 
Experts believe that the lack of coordination between the concerned departments can lead to an ecological catastrophe on the forests in case of fire incidents and underscore the need to streamline the firefighting mechanism in the fragile zones.  
A fierce blaze on top of the Zabarwan which started on Tuesday night attracted the attention of the residents of Shivpora, Rajbagh and its adjoining areas. Witnesses said the fire which continued till wee hours today, spread with the breeze and engulfed a large chunk of forests. Incidentally, the headquarters of the Army’s 15 Corps at Badami Bagh Cantonment is near the affected area
The area hosts a large number of wild animals including leopards and bears as the zone lies close to the Dachigam National Park. “The affected area does not fall in our jurisdiction. Though we had sent a team to the spot however, the soldiers told them that the fire got extinguished naturally. The area belongs to the Wildlife department,” said Abid Nabi, the Divisional Forest Officer (Urban).  
But the Wildlife Warden Central, Rashid Naqash said the affected area does not fall within the jurisdiction of the Wildlife department. However, officials of the concerned departments wishing anonymity said the area was under Army’s control. “We have to seek permission from the Army to douse the fire as it falls under their control. This delays the firefighting mechanism,” they said. 
An officer of the Cantonment, Col Jha however said the Army had its own firefighting mechanism. But he maintained that no fire incident took place in the Zabarwan range under Army’s jurisdiction.   
Over the past many years, many incidents of fire incidents due to dry spell or “negligence” of nomads and soldiers who conduct patrolling through the forests had taken place in the range.
The former Chief Conservator of Forests, Moulvi Shafaat said due to dry material particularly grass, a spark can cause fire in forests and blamed the lack of coordination between different departments for timely firefighting measures in forests.
“To ensure smooth firefighting measures, the authorities had decided last year to establish a joint control room comprising officials of all concerned department including Forest and Wildlife. However, the plan is yet to be implemented. If the fire in the forests is not controlled in time, it can wreak havoc on the fragile eco-system,” he said 
He recommended utilizing services of the people living near the forests for effective firefighting.  

Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Wed, 16 Mar 2011 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Thu, 17 Mar 2011 00:00:00 IST



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