- विज्ञापन -
The Forest and Wildlife Conservation Department of the Punjab Government has issued a special alert across the state in view of the increasing incidents of forest fires during the summer season. The department has appealed to the general public to immediately report any forest fire incident and keep an eye on any suspicious activity. A 24-hour control number has been issued for this.
Nodal officers have been appointed in different districts across the state, whose mobile and landline numbers have been issued. A separate officer has been assigned the responsibility for each district, who will ensure immediate action on receiving information about the fire.
Control room set up in Chandigarh
The department has clarified that deliberately setting fire to forests is a serious crime, for which the guilty can be fined and punished. Fire causes huge damage to forest property, wildlife, the environment and human life.
A 24-hour active control room has also been set up at the departmental headquarters in Chandigarh, where information can be given at any time on toll free number 1800-180-2323. Information can also be sent by email to [email protected].
The total geographical area of Punjab is about 50,362 square kilometers, out of which about 3.65% area (about 1,842 square kilometers) comes under forest area. While 13 wildlife sanctuaries and 2 zoological parks are present. The major sanctuaries include Harike, Anjania, and Talwandi Sabo, which are famous for their biodiversity of birds and other fauna.
More than 300 species of birds are found in the forests of the state, including migratory birds that come to areas like Harike Lake in winter. Apart from this, more than 50 mammalian species, more than 20 reptiles, and more than 40 types of amphibians and fish are also found in the state.
