Jaldapara fire: Fake pictures of blaze were circulated, reveals probe
Soumitra Nandi Kolkata: Probe into the incident of fire at Jaldapara National Park on Monday night has revealed that pictures which were circulated on social media capturing the blaze are fake and were deliberately distributed to create panic among nature lovers. The fire was intentionally set on the dry grass so that fresh grass could grow through the natural process before the monsoon and the cattle owned by the adjoining villagers could feast on it. “It is nothing uncommon during this dry season in the fringe areas of the forests that are bordered by villages. It was an act of mischief to destroy the dry grassland so that fresh green grass which is a favourite of the livestock grows afresh,” a senior official of the state Forest department said. During this time the department also resorts to ‘controlled burning’ in certain parts of Jaldapara — the largest rhinoceros habitat in Bengal — to allow fresh green grass to be relished by them. “However, we ensure that the animals are driven away from that place before taking such an action. The practise is followed in forest covers across the world,” the official added. The department through its Joint Management Committees (JMC) has created awareness against such acts in a number of villages and similar incidences have seen a significant decline. But there are still a number of pockets like Suhasini Bagan area where the incident occurred on Monday where awareness campaigns among villagers through JMCs is required. “We will soon take up measures to prevent such incidents in fringe areas like Suhasini Bagan. Usually, animals do not inhabit these areas but we want to ensure that such deliberate acts of setting fire are curbed,” said Ravi Kant Sinha, the state Chief Wildlife Warden. As a precautionary step, the fire line in some of these fringe areas are cut off during this time to prevent its spread and in the Malangi I and Malangi III beat areas where the fire occurred on Monday night, the line was already cut off. The Fire department officials controlled the blaze in two hours. At least 75 acres of grassland on the bank of river Teesta was affected. Sources in the department ruled out any major loss of wildlife except for a few snakes or a handful of insects that have a tendency to take shelter underground. There are 21 permanent and five temporary watchtowers at the park. Forest guards man them round-the-clock. “We have temporarily erected some more towers with the Holi festival on Monday to step up vigil,” the official said.
Kolkata: Probe into the incident of fire at Jaldapara National Park on Monday night has revealed that pictures which were circulated on social media capturing the blaze are fake and were deliberately distributed to create panic among nature lovers. The fire was intentionally set on the dry grass so that fresh grass could grow through the natural process before the monsoon and the cattle owned by the adjoining villagers could feast on it. "It is nothing uncommon during this dry season in the fringe areas of the forests that are bordered by villages. It was an act of mischief to destroy the dry grassland so that fresh green grass which is a favourite of the livestock grows afresh," a senior official of the state Forest department said.
During this time the department also resorts to 'controlled burning' in certain parts of Jaldapara — the largest rhinoceros habitat in Bengal — to allow fresh green grass to be relished by them. "However, we ensure that the animals are driven away from that place before taking such an action. The practise is followed in forest covers across the world," the official added.
The department through its Joint Management Committees (JMC) has created awareness against such acts in a number of villages and similar incidences have seen a significant decline. But there are still a number of pockets like Suhasini Bagan area where the incident occurred on Monday where awareness campaigns among villagers through JMCs is required.
"We will soon take up measures to prevent such incidents in fringe areas like Suhasini Bagan. Usually, animals do not inhabit these areas but we want to ensure that such deliberate acts of setting fire are curbed," said Ravi Kant Sinha, the state Chief Wildlife Warden. As a precautionary step, the fire line in some of these fringe areas are cut off during this time to prevent its spread and in the Malangi I and Malangi III beat areas where the fire occurred on Monday night, the line was already cut off. The Fire department officials controlled the blaze in two hours. At least 75 acres of grassland on the bank of river Teesta was affected.
Sources in the department ruled out any major loss of wildlife except for a few snakes or a handful of insects that have a tendency to take shelter underground. There are 21 permanent and five temporary watchtowers at the park. Forest guards man them round-the-clock. "We have temporarily erected some more towers with the Holi festival on Monday to step up vigil," the official said.
