Fire breaks out in Manipalla hill; burns trees, plants and bushes
Fire covers 15 acres of forest, villagers are fighting to douse it
Mangaluru, Jan 17: Fire broke out in Manipalla hills in Kuppepadavu gram panchayat limits near Bajpe on Thursday and it has spread to more than 15 acres of forest area. The villagers have been fighting it out to douse the fire.
“After 5 pm, heavy smoke emanated from the hill and later, it has converted into fire. Acacia, Menjamu and other species of shrubs and trees were gutted in the fire. Apart from the trees and plants, animals like snakes, rabbits, birds and other wild animals also died in the forest fire”, social worker Sulaiman told Varthabharati.
Villagers succeeded in dousing the fire on either side of the road near the hill. But they could not do anything to extinguish the fire atop the hill. However, the fire brigade has been trying to douse the fire.
Though the fire extinguishing work was taken up on war-footing, it has been spreading to other places. Manipalla village has 40-45 houses and a petrol station was also near to the hill, he said.
More than 150 youth of the village have been trying to douse the fire by bringing water. So far, no elected representatives visited the spot and take measures to douse the fire, he said.
“Manipalla hill has been getting fire for the last few years. But nobody knows who is behind this incident. Concerned authorities were already informed about it. Rescue operation is going on and villagers are asked to take care about the fire”
-DP Hammabba, Kuppepadavu Gram Panchayat Vice President
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Trump says he ‘hasn’t even thought about’ continuing Iran ceasefire
Washington: US President Donald Trump has said he has not yet considered whether he would continue the ceasefire involving Iran, while also claiming the United States holds the advantage in negotiations.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said he was prepared to make a deal with “whoever is running the show” in Iran.
“They are fighting with each other, there’s tremendous infighting. They’re probably fighting for leadership in many cases. I think they’re fighting not to be leader because we knocked out two levels of leaders,” he said.
Trump added, “When they want they can call me. We have all the cards, we’ve won everything.”
Referring to ongoing negotiations, he said, “They gave us a paper that should’ve been better. And, interestingly, immediately when I cancelled it [envoy trip to Pakistan], within 10 minutes we got a new paper that was much better.”
“We talked about they will not have a nuclear weapon, very simple … They offered a lot, but not enough,” he added.
When asked whether he would continue the ceasefire, Trump replied, “I haven’t even thought about it.”
The remarks come as uncertainty remains over the future of the temporary truce and broader negotiations between Washington and Tehran.
