Efforts are underway to control a forest fire that has broken out in the Valley of Flowers range. An Indian Air Force helicopter has been deployed at Joshimath to assist in firefighting operations. For the past two to three days, the helicopter has been working in coordination with the Indian Army, and an aerial survey of the fire-affected areas has already been conducted.
However, so far, water has not been dropped using a Bambi bucket from the helicopter to control the fire. Officials clarified that the helicopter’s role has been limited to surveillance and assessment at this stage.
Forest Range Officer Chetna Kandpal held discussions with Wing Commander Deepak Raheja regarding the situation. Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve Director Akash Verma also contacted the Wing Commander over the phone. During the conversation, the director requested the Central Command to remove old photographs related to Bambi bucket operations from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), as they could create confusion about the current firefighting efforts.
