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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Manipur: Mortal remains of children killed in bomb attack handed over to family
Imphal (PTI): The mortal remains of two children, who were killed in a bomb attack in Manipur's Bishnupur district in April, were handed over to family members on Saturday, officials said.
The bodies of the five-year-old boy and his six-month-old sister were kept in the morgue for 25 days, as the family members had refused to accept the mortal remains, demanding that the perpetrators be brought to book at the earliest.
On April 25, Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh had appealed to the family members of the children to accept the bodies. Singh had also said that all efforts were underway to find the culprits.
The two children were killed in a bomb attack at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur district on April 7. Their bodies were kept in the morgue at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal.
The incident had triggered widespread violent protests in the five valley districts of Manipur, and the case was subsequently handed over to the NIA.
Hundreds of people lined up along the way to Tronglaobi to offer floral tributes, as the mortal remains were taken for the last rites in an open vehicle earlier in the day.
