India, May 9 -- Cloud seeding or depending on rain gods is not the answer to the raging forest fires in Uttarakhand, the Supreme Court remarked on Wednesday, even as the state government submitted that several preventive measures, including cloud seeding, were being undertaken to tackle the situation. The court's remarks came as it was hearing an application filed by senior advocate Rajeev Datta on April 30 seeking urgent directions for preventive steps, claiming that the recent wildfire has devoured 40% of forests in the Himalayan state. The court decided to involve the central empowered committee (CEC), an expert body, in the matter and posted it for further hearing on May 15. "He (applicant) is right in saying that you have to take preventive measures," a bench told the state's counsel, after the latter filed a 380-page interim status report elaborating on the current situation and the steps taken. P10...