BARIPADA/BALANGIR: Awareness programmes taken up by the forest department of Mayurbhanj district among dwellers on not to light fire have yielded little result with wildfire raging in vast stretches of Gunjusahi forest under Rashgobindpur range for the last couple of days.
Though it is unclear if the forest fire is man-made or due to surging day time temperature in the last two days, more than 20 acres of forest area are burning. The forest department officials, however, are yet to reach the spot to douse it.
Blaming the forest department officials, locals alleged no effort is being made to douse the fire. “The fire started on Tuesday and has been spreading to vast areas of the forest. We informed the forest department but none has reached the site yet,” Anadi Singh, another local alleged.
Contacted, Rashgobindpur Range Officer Madhusmita Das said satellite report revealed no fire in that area otherwise staff would have been deputed to douse. “The fire is the man-made as the local people burnt the undergrowth on their fields near the forest leading to the spread,” Das said.
Meanwhile, forest fire has also been reported from Budhadangar of Kendumundi village area and Rengaljuri forest on Patnagarh-Padampur road. Similarly, forest areas in Turekela and Khaprakhol blocks have also been under the grip of fire.
Dillip Pradhan, range officer of Patnagarh said the forest team is trying to control the fire and also organising meetings with villagers on the issue.