Major fire breaks out in Bandipur national park: More than 15K acre forest land gutted
Chamarajnagar, Feb 23: A major fire has broken out in the Bandipur National Tiger Reserve park on Thursday, causing thousands of acres of forest area have been destroyed.
The fire broke out in some parts around a week ago and now, it has spread to Bandipur national park propelled by strong wind. Forest department officials who lodged a complaint at police station urged them to arrest the miscreants who set fire in the forest.
The Bandipur national park has become one among the best tourist destinations in the world. The fire first broke out at Kundakere near Bandipur three days ago and some portion of the forest was destroyed. But on Friday, the fire spread to Kundakere, Lokkere, Chikkelachatti, Kalli Gowdanahalli, Shivapura, Gopalaswamy Betta and other places in spite of the efforts of the firefighters and locals to douse the fire. As a result, it is said that more than 15,000 acres of forest was destroyed.
With the help of strong wind, the fire covered the entire Bandipur on Saturday. As it is summer, most of the parts of the forest has become dry and the fire has devastated everything on its way though the firefighters, staff and locals tried their level best to control it.
Two years ago, the region got fire and thousands of acres of forest area in Kalkere forest range in Bandipur was destroyed. Moreover, forest guard Murugappa Thammanagol was burnt alive in the fire. Many forest department staff who had been to douse the fire were injured and hundreds of wild animals and birds were also died.
Vehicular movement disturbed
As the Bandipur forest suffered major fire, the vehicular movement on Ooty-Mysuru road was disturbed. Due to thick smoke emanated from the fire, tourists are returning back.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
