<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The National Green Tribunal, NGT has voiced concern over recurring forest fires in the hill states and directed them to inform it about the steps taken by them to control such incidents. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">A bench headed by acting NGT Chairperson Jawad Rahim impleaded the Ministry of Environment and Forests as well as the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal in the case. It also issued notices to these hill states and asked them to file an affidavit stating measures taken by them to check forest fires. </div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">During the hearing, the Uttarakhand government told the tribunal that a state forest fire management plan has been finalised and the details of the action taken are mentioned in the report submitted to it. The matter is now listed for next hearing on July 30.</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><br />''</div>''<div style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">The tribunal was hearing a plea by an NGO alleging that a nexus of timber mafia, some greedy villagers and officials is suspected to be behind the fire incidents which have caused severe degradation of the environment.</div>''<div class="yj6qo" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>''<div class="adL" style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"></div>