DHENKANAL: The district administration has decided to set up a temporary camp at Mahuldagar village in Tumusingha panchayat soon to check elephant intrusion and forest fire.
A team of officials led by Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Sudarshan Patra visited four villages - Mahuldagar, Fieldsahi, Dankabole and Raghubole - to look into the problem faced by the villagers.
The villages are surrounded by reserve forest and there is no road connectivity from the panchayat headquarters to these areas, a stretch of seven km. They have to walk till Tumusingha for their needs. During the visit of forest officials, the tribals apprised them about their plight and demanded that a road be constructed under MGNREGA from Tumusingha to their villages.
Patra said, “We will set up a temporary camp at Mahuldagar to protect forest from fire, keep a watch on movement of elephants and instil a sense of confidence among the tribals. Members of VSS will also be engaged to help forest officials.”
This apart, a watch tower will be set up between Kumusi and Bhalumunda. A project proposal has been sent to the office of the PCCF for approval, he added.