Dehra Dun, Jun 4 (PTI) Nearly 30,000 hectares of jungle area in Uttarakhand have so far been affected by wild fire that caused a loss of forest wealth to the tune of Rs 56.47 lakh since the hill state came into being over a decade ago, the state Assembly was informed today. The maximum forest area of 4,850 hectares was affected by forest fire in 2004 with a loss of forest wealth worth Rs 13.14 lakh, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Indira Hridayesh said during Question Hour. Till May 27 this year, a total of forest area of 1409.39 hectares have so far been affected by forest fire and it has caused a loss of forest wealth worth Rs 1.72 lakh, she said. Admitting that there is no foolproof mechanism to control the forest fires, the minister said the forest department has set up 1151 crew stations and 38 master control rooms across the state to minimise the response time after getting the information. The forest department is also promoting the locals to collect dried pine leaves, one of the major reasons for forest fires, she said, adding, a separate budgetary provision of Rs 10-12 crore would be made to check such incidents.
