MADIKERI: Over 200 km of fire lines have been drawn across the forest in Kodagu to protect against accidental fires. Fire incidents are being reported regularly across forest fringes, and land issues are seen as an underlying reason for them. Over 100 acres of grassland have been lost in the past week in accidental fires across the district. Failure of the administration in handing over C&D land to the forest department can be analysed as one of the reasons for the increasing fire incidents in the district.
The lands that were affected in the past are similar to the forest region, but are not designated forest areas, though they are C&D lands that are not in possession of the forest department. With no fire lines drawn in these regions, they are prone to fire during summer, even as several species of wildlife face the brunt. Further, as per court orders, the district administration has to handover more than 11,000 hectares of C&D land to the forest department.
This extent of land has to be transferred to the forest department to compensate for the forest land that was utilised for the rehabilitation of residents during the construction of the Harangi reservoir.
However, sources confirmed that only 4,500 acres of C&D land has been handed over to the department even as it has put forth consistent requests to the administration to hand over remaining land.
Experts opine that this is one of the underlying reasons for increased fire incidents reported across under-maintained government lands.
“We are unable to take precautionary steps to control forest fires in non-designated forest areas, as these lands are not under our possession. Further, there is an increased hue and cry by several residents who do not allow us to draw fire lines across encroached lands adjoining the forest area,” shared Chief Conservator of Forests BN Murthy.
While a few fire incidents have been accidental, many others are work of miscreants. Sources confirmed that residents are also involved in lighting up grasslands to clear the area. “Among the fire incidents reported so far, only Dubare forest area comes under the Reserve Forest category.
We have identified a few miscreants who are involved in lighting fire in government lands. Cases have been booked, but arrests are yet to be made,” he confirmed. Without the handing over of the C&D land to the the forest department, fires would be reported in the dry season, even as they are threatening the ecosystem, even as experts opine that loss of vegetation will lead to landslides in the near future.