By Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI/BHUBANESWAR/NEW DELHI: BJP National VP In Charge of Assam and Delhi and former 4th times MP, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda on Saturday urged Naveen Patnaik led Odisha Government to take action at Similipal National Park in State’s Mayurbhanj district, online of actions that were taken at Kaziranga National Park in Assam to check Rhino poaching.
Sharing a news clip of Down to Earth Magazine, which carried a piece written by Wildlife Society of Odisha, Secretary, Biswajit Mohanty, the BJP National VP however alleged that due to inaction and apathy of State Government, such unfortunate incidents are happening.
“Scathing analysis of the devastating #SimlipalFires in Odisha’s largest forest. A big cause: the state govt’s apathy about increased poaching & timber mafia. Contrast with Assam, where 5 years of tough actions have ended Rhino poaching & revived Kaziranga,” Baijayant Jay Panda tweeted @PandaJay.
It may be noted here that Assam forest department and police had arrested a most wanted rhino poacher/trader from Arunachal Pradesh few weeks back. In a joint operation by Biswanath Wildlife Division of Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR) and Assam police, along with the help of Arunachal Pradesh police, rhino poacher from Naharlagun area had been arrested.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had reviewed the situation at the national park and said that there was no loss of life or damage to big trees. The forest department, meanwhile, has asked all district officers to submit a daily report on the number of fire points in their respective divisions.
WLSO secretary Mohanty in his piece alleged that the forest fire in Similipal, Odisha, is a phenomenon that has been in play for decades. The two main causes are well known: Poachers and non-timber forest product (NTFP) collectors. Dry, fallen leaves provide a ready source of fuel for the fire and one matchstick is enough to set the entire forest ablaze.Scared animals eager to escape the leaping flames flee straight into the arms of lurking poachers. NTFP collectors of mahua flowers burn the forest floor in order to clear the dry leaf litter, which makes it easy to collect flowers. Since these fires are unsupervised, they often spread to the adjacent forest areas. To collect fresh Kendu leaves used for bidis (the local cigarettes), the bushes are slashed and set on fire for the new flush.
It is now believed that the annual fire control budget for Odisha is Rs 50 crore. This includes temporary fire squads equipped with air blowers, vehicles and safety wire. A state-level toll free number can also be used to inform the administration of fire occurrences.
The state forest minister reacted 12 days after the fire started. He tweeted March 4, 2021 about the steps the state government was taking to save Similipal — only after a social media outburst by a few central ministers.The Odisha government is notorious for fixing accountability. Other states do better in this regard. Chhattisgarh, for example, transferred nine Indian Forest Service officers in June 2020 for failing to check the deaths of six elephant in 11 days.
