Chikkamagaluru: It is learnt that a forest fire broke out in Somana Forest Area of Balur Reserve Forest in Charmadi Ghat on evening of Tuesday December 28 due to misdeed of miscreants and hundreds of acres of forest was burnt down.
The fire is suspected to have been caused by smokers, cooks or shikaris in the Charmadi Ghat area. Tourists travelling on the Mangaluru – Villupuram National Highway are likely to have caused the forest fire.
As soon as they came to know about the fire in the forest, the Forest Deparment Personnel of Chikkamagaluru Division rushed to the spot and tried their best to bring the fire under control.
By then, hundreds of acres of forest had been destroyed in the fire. It is regrettable that forest fires have been occurring in the Charmadi Ghat area for the past several years and the Forest are being destroyed.
It was rumoured that the fire was caused by an accident during the construction of the fire line by the Forest Department. However, Senior Officials of the Forest Deparment of Chikkamagaluru Division suspect that the fire line is not being constructed at these places by the Department and it could have spread from the forest limits of the Wildlife Division on Belthangady side.
Charmadi Ghat road and forest areas fall under the jurisdiction of Dakshina Kannada and Chikkamagaluru Districts.
This year’s forest fire is likely to destroy a large number of vegetation in the forests of Chikkamagaluru Division.
It is also possible that the wild animals here have changed their habitat. The Charmadi area is already infested with wild animals including wild elephants. This is likely to increase further due to forest fires.
Snake, which are found here and there in Belthangady Taluk, and people usually leave them in the Charmadi Ghat vicinity. There is a possibility that they are threatened by forest fire.
As a result of the forest fire, Neria, Charmadi, Chibidre, Thottathadi, Mundaje, Kalmanja and other villages have experienced intense weather conditions.
The forest fire in the Charmadi Ghat area has been brought under control. Locals and Department Staff immediately swung into action and doused the fire, averting further damage, said Kranti
DFO, Chikkamagaluru Division
“There is no possibility of the fire from the forest of Belthangady wildlife division. The construction of the fire line will begin in the next few days as a precautionary measure to prevent a forest fire at Charmadi Ghat area,” asserted Swati,
RFO, Wildlife Division,
Belthangady.
