Locals say Fire may intentionally destroy biodiversity tags, drive away wild animals, level hills, and ploy for road construction and plot on hills.
Ponda Fire Station flooded with fire calls.
Goemkarponn desk
PONDA: In just ten days of March, 54 dry grass fire cases in Ponda Hills Jungles. The fire personnel are tired of cases after chasing cases reported at various parts of Ponda and Dharbandora.
Locals suspect some fires may be natural or accidental but feel many fire cases may be intentional for vested interest. Today the Fire Personnel were seen as busy attending fire calls at Dhavlim and Panchawadi, while yesterday four cases they attended at Dharbandora and Ponda.
The Dharbandora Sidda hill burned for three days, and efforts were made to douse Fire. The employees at Fire Station said they had never received such calls in the past, and a first-time record number of fire incidents were reported.
Recent fire incidents were at Bethora jungle, Marcel, Shiroda, and Bandora, including some cashew bagayats where farmers had suffered losses.
Fire Incharge Sushil Moraikar said Fire may be for three reasons times some people throw lighted cigarettes after smoking, some farmers may unintentionally set Fire to unwanted grass, which may spread, high tension lines etc. passing in the area etc. However, he said man-made intentional fire cases cannot be ruled out. He urged locals to stay alert, take care of their Bagayats and forest areas and protect animals.
Environmentalist Sandeep Parkar suspected various reasons for the Fire for vested interest and sought through inquiry. He expressed concern over Burning hills. He said animals are now leaving wildlife areas. At Chorla Ghat, herds of wild boar were seen leaving the area after Fire spread recently.
He said Mhadei wildlife sanctuary is a biodiversity hotspot. Secondly, some people don’t want tiger reserve in Goa, while some want to develop the jungle by making plots and some for insurance claims.
Some set fire to hills as they can drive away wild animals and destroy biodiversity.
Dhavlim locals said that two incidents of Fire have been reported in the past two days and may be for making roads and construction of plots.
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