New Delhi: The Supreme Court said on Monday it will hear on May 8 a plea on forest fires in Uttarakhand where 910 such incidents have occurred since November 1 last year damaging forests in about 1145 hectares.
The matter came up for hearing before a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta. An advocate, who has filed an application for impleadment in the matter, told the bench that almost 44 per cent of forests in Kumaon region of Uttarakhand was burning and the biggest shock was that 90 per cent of these fires were man-made.
“I am telling your lordships something which is shocking. It’s all carbon flying all over the place. The biggest shock is 90 per cent of it is man-made,” the lawyer said, adding, “even today’s report are absolutely sad… 44 per cent (forest) of Kumaon is burning”.
The bench posted the matter for hearing on May 8.
The counsel appearing for Uttarakhand sought the court’s permission to file a status report regarding the current position.
While hearing the petition in 2019, the apex court had observed that forest fires posed a serious problem in hill states, especially during summer, and the reason was the large presence of pine trees, which are highly flammable, in most areas.