Odisha Govt Forms Special Task Force to Tackle Forest Fires

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government has decided to form special task force to tackle forest fires in the State.

The Government has taken special measures to control the forest fires in the State. Special preparations are being made at the Panchayat level for fire suppression. Sarpanch of the concerned area, local peoples’ representatives, Mission Shakti members, local clubs and various volunteers will be involved in the this mission and a special task force will be formed on priority basis. In this regard, a high level meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena.

District Collectors, SPs, DFOs, Fire Officers and other district level officers participated in the meeting through virtual mode.

To prevent fires, field officers will be empowered and ODRAF teams will be deployed where necessary. As there is a threat of summer heat in the state, the Chief Secretary directed deployment of ODRAF teams in advance in the areas where the fire is likely to spread, as per an official release.

So far, 23860 places in the State have fire related information, while 98 percent of them have been controlled.

The meeting was attended by Special Relief Commissioner Nikunja Bihari Dhal, Principal Secretary of Panchayati Raj Department Sushil Kumar Lohani and other senior officials.