Flagging gaps in monitoring, regulation, and management of forest fires, a parliamentary standing committee has made a slew of prescriptions, including prioritising the launch of a geostationary satellite for round-the-clock monitoring. The recommendations were made in a new report — ‘Forest fires in the Himalayan Region, its adverse effects and mitigation measures’ — tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Friday. Pointing out gaps, the panel also called for a time-bound decision on setting up at least two regional response centres of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), dedicated to tackling forest fires in the Himalayan region. In response, the Environment Ministry stated that a national action plan for forest fires currently addresses forest fires, which is aided through working plans, compensatory afforestation funds and a disaster management framework. The committee, however, asked the Centre to undertake a careful review of existing forest laws to safeguard forest communities and forest ecosystems.