Kandhamal district level fire prevention and prevention meeting

Kandhamal, (Fast News Odisha): In order to protect forests and wildlife from forest fires, the government has decided to coordinate best with various departments to identify fire-prone areas and prepare a plan to prevent forest fires in the event of further fires that may occur in Kandhamal district on January 2025. Effective from June, 2025. In this series, a district level fire prevention and prevention meeting has been held under the chairmanship of Additional District Collector Ashok Kumar Bhoi in Sadbhavna meeting room of District Collector's office. It is imperative to alert people who rely on fire-prone tropical forests. The forest is theirs and they can benefit from it in the future if the forest remains. Additional District Collector Mr. Bhoi expressed that they need to be encouraged to harvest double crops from the land they are cultivating without burning. Prashant Patel, official of Phulbani Bankhand, said that the forest resources of the district are decreasing due to the fact that most of the people in this district are cutting down trees and doing firewood cultivation. However, due to the efforts of the departmental officers and staff and the institutions working in this direction, the sensitive fire points are less this year than last year. In 2025, efforts will be made to prevent forest fire in Kandhamal district, Bankhand official Mr. Patel said. Similarly, Sri Vishwaraj Panda, the forest officer of Baligudakhand, said that if they cut trees for agriculture and set them on fire, they do not know that they are losing instead of profit. That is why it is imperative to alert the people who depend on the forests of Unjhar to be vulnerable to fire. Mr. Panda suggested holding frequent meetings at sensitive fire points to explain to the local people what they would benefit from not setting fire. Forest department officials, directors and chief executives of volunteer institutes like Swati, Pahad, Banvashisa Seva Samiti etc., green lovers and presidents of forest protection societies gave their views and informed about the problems faced at the workplace which will be included in the action plan of the forest department. . Forest fires can be prevented with the cooperation of everyone from common people to public representatives and every department including forest department, voluntary organizations, mass media. Everyone was of the opinion that it should be the mission of all to put out the fire, whether it was started for gain or by people of evil nature. Ms. Shwetalina Sahu, Assistant Conservator of Forests, Phulbali Forest Division through power point, main causes of forest fires, effects of forest fires, list of forest fires being set by local people every year in which villages, responsibilities of various departments for its prevention and prevention, and 2025 In 2016, he gave information on efforts to make Kandhamal district free from forest fires. In the said meeting, Bankhand Officer (Kendu Leaf) Sharat Kumar Mishra, Additional District Magistrate, (Revenue) Ramesh Chandra Jena, Chief Development Officer-cum-Executive Officer Shambhunath Nandi along with officers of Phulwali and Baliguda Bankhand, the main function of the Voluntary Institute working as wildlife supervisors on a voluntary basis. Executive, Green Lover and President of Forest Protection Society and concerned department Officers attended.

Report by Sanjay Kumar Munigrahi from Kandhamal District, Fast News Odisha