Odisha claims Similipal fire under control, deploys special fire fighting squads

The government said the core area of the Similipal Tiger Reserve has not been impacted much and the fire was mostly confined to the peripheral areas.

Updated on: Mar 9, 2021, 20:55:02 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Hindustan Times, Bhubaneswar

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Two weeks after the forest fire in Odisha’s Similipal tiger reserve began, the state government on Tuesday claimed that the fire was almost under control and more staff have been deployed to extinguish it.

**EDS: TWITTER IMAGE POSTED BY @cfo_odisha ON THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021**Bhubaneswar: Fire Service personnel inspect the the charred forest area of Similipal National Park days after a fire broke out, in Odisha.(PTI Photo)(PTI03_04_2021_000082B) (PTI)

“The forest fire in Similipal is now almost contained. The core area with precious wildlife has not been impacted much, with fire mostly confined to the peripheral areas of the Similipal Tiger Reserve. Two teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force have been sent to the reserve," said Sandeep Tripathy, former PCCF of Odisha and head of the task force entrusted to suggest ways for containing the rising forest fires in the state.

As per the Forest Survey of India's fire portal, Odisha had 20,920 fire spots in the last 7 days, the highest in the country.

Tripathy said four fire brigade teams have gone deep into the forests at Barehipani, Gudugudia, Talabandha, Kendumundi, Chahala, Nawna ranges in Similipal. On Tuesday, forest officials in Mayurbhanj district arrested two poachers who were trying to hunt wild animals by setting fire in Gudidiha forest under Dudhiali range.

Chief secretary Suresh Mohapatra who reviewed the forest fire situation in the state with all the district collectors, superintendents of police and Divisional Forest Officers on Monday, said due to continuous and quick action of field staff, the number of fire points has shown considerable decrease as fire alerts came down to 3,258 on Monday from 6,258 on Sunday.

"More than 95% of fire points located have been attended during the last 24 hours of reporting. No damage to wildlife or humans has been reported,” he said.

Mohapatra said to tackle the situation the state government has decided to engage 100 more special fire fighting squads in addition to the 600 squads to fight the fire. The government has alo decided to engage Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) in 3000 villages located on fringe areas of several forests to sensitise villagers on the need to check fires.

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Bikash Parishad, a social outfit on Tuesday filed a PIL in the Orissa High Court seeking appropriate measures to contain and douse the wildfire in Similipal tiger reserve and other forests across the state.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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