Purulia, Bankura forest fire doused after 24 hrs

Purulia/ Bankura: Multiple forests across hills in Purulia and Bankura are up in flames for the past one day as “man-made” fires threatened to burn down vegetation and wildlife across south Bengal, raising concerns on the impact of environment and ecological balance in these areas.
Till late on Thursday, fire damaged forests of Ayodhya hills, Garpanchakot hills, Bandoan, Baranti and Susunia hills, which forest officials said, were set by local villagers to clear jungle path and generate more heat for better production of Mohua and some by suspected poachers to trap animals.
“The fires may have been man-made but we are not sure about it. We have been receiving news about fires from multiple places and a joint forest management committee with fire officials is trying its best to douse the flames,” said Ramprasad Badana, divisional forest officer of Purulia. Similar has been the situation at Susunia hills, Jhilimili hills and forests at Barjora and Bishnupur in Bankura where fires are raging since Wednesday night. “The situation is under control. Some people have alleged that a group of miscreants was involved but we haven’t found any such evidence yet,” said Bankura (north) DFO Kalyan Rai.
Residents living in areas near Susunia hills in Bankura and those near Ayodhya and Garpanchakot said they spotted the fire on Wednesday night. Some villagers called the Chhatna police who informed the fire and forest departments as they began to douse the flames. By Thursday morning, photographs of the forest fire were being shared on social media.
The hills of Susunia as well as Ayodhya and Garpanchakot are known for their diversity of flora and fauna, especially medicinal plants.