Hundreds of trees burnt down in Bankura hills

Bankura/Goaltore/Purulia: Several hundred sal, simul, palash and other trees, besides a lot of vegetation, were burnt after suspected miscreants set ablaze the middle section — locally referred to as tilla — of the 1,442ft-high Sushunia hills of Bankura district early on Wednesday.
Residents of nearby villages rushed out and saw flames engulfing the trees.Sushunia beat office staff called the fire services, which sent tenders. By then, the fire had engulfed an entire section of the Hill.
Bankura North divisional forest officer J V Bhaskar arrived at dawn to survey the damage. He said: “Preliminary findings indicate the fire was lit by miscreants who fled. We are assessing the damage.”
Wtness Sushi Mandi from a nearby village said: “Several tourists visit this hill. This is the third time a fire has been lit there. There were fires on this scale last year and the year before, but the culprits could not be nabbed. We want those responsible arrested immediately.”
Bankura DM S Arun Prasad said: “An inquiry is on.”
Bankura town was also hit by a mild earthquake. No death or damage to property was reported.
Bankura apart, smaller fires allegedly struck seven forest areas near Purulia’s Ayodhya Hills — Bagmundi, Jhalda, Ayodhya, Matha, Arsha, Kurshila and Balarampur. Locals brought these under control.
In West Midnapore, Rupnarayanpur forest range officials said a fire destroyed a large number of sal and palash trees in Goaltore forest. Unlike the Bankura and Purulia fires, officials said it broke out due to friction between leaves when strong winds were blowing across West Midnapore on Tuesday night.