BHUBANESWAR: Despite mobilisation of a large number of field staff to control wildfire, 341 more forest fire points were detected in different wildlife and territorial divisions in Odisha on Saturday.
Four points were reported in Similipal Tiger Reserve.
Authorities of the State-level task force on forest fire management, however, said the number of points detected on Saturday was less than 50 per cent of Friday figure.
A whopping 31,843 fire alerts from Forest Authority of India have been issued to the State so far.
Of which, 22,602 were from notified forest blocks and 9,241 from outside their periphery. Odisha has around 4,000 forest blocks.
Task force head Sandeep Tripathi said staff have managed to control 65 per cent of all the fire points so far.
The Central team, that had headed to Similipal to take stock of forest fire situation and study its impact on Friday, has now camped at Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary.
The State officials are also accompanying the two-member team, he said. Eight ODRAF teams are assisting forest staff to douse the flames.
BJP delegation visits fire ravaged Similipal
BHUBANESWAR: Even as the State government claimed to have brought the forest fire in different parts of the state under control, a 15-member delegation of BJP led by MLA Jayanarayan Mishra has left for Mayurbhanj to assess the damage caused by the raging fire in Similipal National Park.
“We will take stock of the situation in Similipal biosphere reserve after the forest fire and the steps taken by the State government to control the fire. We will talk to the primitive tribes living in the core areas of the forest and forest officials there,” Mishra said.