New Delhi, Feb 8 (NationPress) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has formally notified the Centre, state governments, and various statutory bodies regarding a petition calling for extensive measures to combat the escalating occurrences of forest fires nationwide.

Led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, the bench, which includes Expert Member Dr A. Senthil Vel, reviewed an original application that emphasized the "swift and alarming" rise in forest fire cases, especially in ecologically sensitive areas like the Himalayas and the Western Ghats.

The petitioner has urged the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to provide a deadline-bound status report concerning the execution of the National Action Plan on Forest Fires, the operation of national fire alert and control systems, and the allocation and use of funds under forest fire prevention initiatives.

The application also requested the establishment of a national fire-risk governance framework, which encompasses scientific fire-risk zonation, creation of priority-driven seasonal action plans, and a standardized nationwide protocol for forest fire prevention, detection, response, and recovery efforts.

Additionally, it advocated for enhanced ground-level readiness by state Forest Departments through the upkeep of fire lines and surveillance towers, the deployment of trained fire watchers and rapid response teams, the use of advanced firefighting tools and surveillance technologies, and the formation of district-level forest fire crisis response strategies.

The petitioner argued that forest fires are leading to severe environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, destruction of forest carbon reservoirs, harm to soil and watershed systems, air pollution, and heightened climate vulnerability.

The petition highlighted recent incidents from January 2026, such as a forest fire along the Triund trekking route in Himachal Pradesh, the early onset of fires in the Western Ghats, and forest fires in Uttarakhand amid snow drought and dry winter conditions.

It also cited data from an RTI query revealing that Maharashtra recorded 8,091 forest fire incidents between January and September 2025—a 56% increase compared to 2024—with most occurrences reported in Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Amravati districts.

Senior counsel Kunal Tandon, representing the applicant, noted that despite previous orders from the NGT in 2019 regarding forest fire management, the responsible agencies have failed to ensure compliance on the ground. He also discussed the initial framework of the National Forest Fire Management Project to address implementation issues.

Upon issuing notices to the respondents, the Tribunal instructed the applicant to serve copies of the petition and to file an affidavit of service at least one week before the next hearing date.

The case is scheduled for further deliberation on April 23.