Man caught setting farmland ablaze made ‘fire watcher’

Bageshwar: A 52-year-old man accused of setting fire to his farmland has been assigned as a “fire watcher” by the forest department as a corrective measure, officials said. The department said the blaze could have spread to a nearby forest area.Pushkar Singh Kanwal was caught on Wednesday during a special surveillance drive launched amid a rise in forest fire incidents across the district over the past week. Officials said he was also fined Rs 9,500.Forest range officer Shyam Singh Karayat said the department received information about a fire in the Bagjivala-Malta forest area during a checking operation. “Kanwal will assist forest staff in monitoring fire-prone areas for a few days without any remuneration,” Karayat said.Officials described the move as both punitive and corrective. “With forest fires becoming a recurring threat during summer, strict monitoring and prompt action are essential,” an official said.The department has also identified eight other people allegedly involved in setting fires in the Goginapani, Ghiroli and Garud forest ranges.According to forest department data, 447 fire incidents have been reported this season, affecting nearly 366 hectares of forest land.