Raipur: A workshop on “Forest Fire Prevention and Management” was organized by the Department of Forest and Climate Change, Government of Chhattisgarh, at the Dandakaranya Auditorium of Aranya Bhavan, Nava Raipur, on Friday.
The workshop brought together senior forest officials, security personnel, policymakers, and experts to discuss strategies for tackling forest fires, which pose significant threats to biodiversity, forest health, and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities.
In his address, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Forces V. Sreenivasa Rao emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to reduce forest fire risks. He highlighted the workshop’s goal of enhancing preparedness and fostering collaboration among all stakeholders.
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Dr. R.K. Singh called for a “whole-of-government to whole-of-society” approach to effectively manage forest fires.
Inspector General of Forests Rajesh S. from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change commended Chhattisgarh’s Forest Department for its initiatives under the State Action Plan on Forest Fires. He stressed the importance of policy frameworks and interdepartmental coordination in managing forest fire risks.
APCCF (Protection) Sunil Kumar Mishra discussed the specific forest fire challenges faced in Chhattisgarh, while APCCF (Wildlife) Prem Kumar addressed the complexities of managing fires in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and wildlife areas.
Representatives from police and security forces, including Ajay Singh, DIG, CRPF; Balaji Rao, IPS, DIG, CAF; and J.K. Singh, BSF, underlined the importance of coordination between security forces and the Forest Department.
They emphasized the need for joint strategies to improve response mechanisms and collaborative efforts in mitigating forest fire risks in sensitive regions.
The workshop also featured a discussion chaired by Dr. R.K. Singh on strengthening forest fire preparedness and mitigation at the regional level.
The session included presentations on advanced firefighting techniques by Raju Agasimani, IFS, CCF, Raipur Circle, best practices in forest fire management from Odisha by V. Karthick, and innovations in fire detection and monitoring tools by Vikas Gusain, Senior Technical Assistant, Forest Survey of India.
The program was conducted by IFS officer Pankaj Rajput, and Grishmi Chaand delivered the vote of thanks.
