Guwahati, Aug. 10 -- Forest fires are emerging as a major challenge across the Northeast, but the region needs a coordinated response rather than separate State-level measures, a Parliamentary committee has said.

The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change, in its report on forest fires in the Himalayan region, has called for a single, time-bound regional action plan for the Eastern Himalayan States, citing common challenges ranging from Jhum cultivation and difficult terrain to shortages of frontline staff and irregular funding.

The report notes that Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland have consistently recorded some of the highest numbers of for...