New Delhi, February 9: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the central government, state governments, and various statutory authorities regarding the increasing incidents of forest fires across the country. This notice was part of a hearing on a petition demanding comprehensive guidelines for the prevention and management of forest fires.
The NGT bench, chaired by Justice Prakash Srivastava, included expert member Dr. A. Senthil Vel. The bench addressed the original application that highlighted the “rapid and alarming” increase in forest fire incidents, particularly in environmentally sensitive areas such as the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.
The petitioner has requested the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to provide directives for the implementation of the National Action Plan on Forest Fire, the functioning of national fire alert and control systems, and a timely report on the status of funds allocated and utilized under forest fire prevention plans.
The petition also calls for the establishment of a comprehensive fire-risk governance framework nationwide. This framework would include scientifically based zoning of fire-prone areas, preparation of priority-based seasonal action plans, and a uniform all-India standard operating procedure (SOP) for the prevention, identification, rapid response, and post-fire recovery from forest fires.
Additionally, there is an emphasis on strengthening the ground preparations of state forest departments. This includes maintenance of fire lines and watch towers, deployment of trained fire watchers and rapid response teams, use of modern firefighting equipment and monitoring technologies, and the establishment of district-level forest fire crisis management mechanisms.
According to the petitioner, forest fires are causing significant environmental damage. They lead to biodiversity loss, destruction of forest carbon sinks, damage to soil and watershed systems, increased air pollution, and heightened sensitivity to climate change.
The petition references recent incidents from January 2026, including a fire on the Triund trekking route in Himachal Pradesh, early forest fires in the Western Ghats, and fires in Uttarakhand amid snow shortages and dry winters.
Furthermore, data obtained through RTI indicates that Maharashtra recorded 8,091 cases of forest fires from January to September 2025, a 56% increase compared to the total incidents in 2024. Most of these incidents were reported from Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Amravati districts.
Senior advocate Kunal Tandon, representing the petitioner, argued that despite the NGT’s directives on forest fire management issued in 2019, the relevant agencies have failed to ensure effective compliance at the ground level. He also pointed out deficiencies in the implementation of the National Forest Fire Management Project’s initial framework.
In issuing the notice, the tribunal instructed the petitioner to provide copies of the petition to all respondents and to file a service affidavit at least one week before the next hearing. The next hearing is scheduled for April 23.