COIMBATORE: In an effort to strengthen the infrastructure to help control forest fires during the upcoming summer, the forest department has procured 34 Bolero pickup vehicles at a cost of Rs 6.52 crore.
The vehicle is equipped with modern communication tools, including a 2,000-litre water tank and fire fighting equipment procured under the State Disaster Response Fund. While the vehicles were distributed to all the divisions in the state, a few divisions have started using the vehicles, and a few are in the process of modifying them.
Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary Environment Climate Change said that the state government has recently launched its first-ever fleet of dedicated and specially customised 34 four-wheel-drive forest firefighter vehicles that will be strategically deployed to manage forest fires in the state.
The staff can reach the places wherever a forest fire is being reported in the same vehicles which will also be used for transporting people for fire control measures and other materials.
"We are getting immediate alerts related to forest fires from Tamil Nadu State Forest Fire Control Centre (TNSFFCC) and based on that, we will deploy our staff to the place.
The new vehicle will help us in reaching the place as soon as possible, and the pipes used to douse off the fires can be extended up to 200 metres which is an added advantage," said D Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
Venkatesh added that as far as the Coimbatore forest division is concerned, Madukkarai and Boluvampatti forest ranges are fire-prone areas, as Velliangiri temple comes under Boluvampatti. "We have been closely monitoring and advising the tourists about forest fires.
Along with the Anti-Poaching Watchers (APW), forest guards, and forest watchers, we are engaging tribals as firefighters, who doused a forest fire at Udumalai Forest range in the Tiruppur Forest Division recently. After the work, we will provide payment to them," he said.