New Delhi, 15 May

Coming down hard on the Uttarakhand government, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday it was at pains to say that the state's approach in controlling forest fires was "lackadaisical".

A bench headed by Justice BR Gavai directed the Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand to be present personally before it on 17 May.

The bench, also comprising Justices SVN Bhatti and Sandeep Mehta, observed that though multiple action plans are prepared, no steps are taken for their implementation.

The apex court also flagged the issue of huge vacancy in the forest department of the state and said the issue needs to be addressed.

The top court was hearing a plea on raging forest fires in Uttarakhand.