New action plan formulated to prevent forest fire in Similipal

THE Mayurbhanj administration along with Forest department and police on Thursday organised a meeting on Thursday to formulate an action plan to prepare in advance to tackle forest fires with the winter setting in.

- SUKANTA SAHU @Baripada

Chaired by collector Hema Kanta Say, the meeting discussed ways to tackle forest inferno which engulf vast areas of Similipal every year besides causing loss of valuable flora and fauna.

The collector said Similipal, being a tropical semi-evergreen and humid mixed forest, experiences shedding of leaves from December to March. "Many parts of the forest become dry during this period making it prone to catching fire easily. Once a fire occurs in a certain part of the forest, it eventually spreads across other areas and becomes difficult to contain," he said.