As Shishila, Shibaje forest fires begin to subside, demands for Navy helicopter survey rise

Team Udayavani, Mar 12, 2023, 8:43 AM IST

Belthangady/Mangaluru: The week-long forest fire in Shibajeand Miyaru reserve forest has started to calm down. There has been a demand from the public to deploy at least 2 helicopters of the Indian Navy to survey the forests before the forest fires flare again.

The forest fire has already caused significant damage to the upper reaches of Shishila, Shibaje, Miyaru, Savanalu, and Shirlalu under the Kudremukh Wildlife Division. However, the fire is now under control due to the continuous efforts of the forest department, fire brigade, and local teams.

However, there are growing concerns about the potential for future forest fires, and many people are calling for preventative measures to be taken.

Campaign continues on social media

Mangaluru: The campaign is continuing on social media to extinguish forest fires using helicopters.

“Udayavani” reported about this on March 10 and many people tweeted the report. The offices of the Prime Minister and Karnataka Chief Minister were also tagged. Netizens demanded that action should be taken from the CM’s office.

Belthangadi MLA Harish Poonja responded and wrote a letter to the CM asking him to carry out firefighting operations by helicopter.

Dakshina Kannada Deputy Commissioner Ravikumar M.R. also spoke to “Udayavani” about this issue and said that he is aware of the seriousness of the matter and will immediately consult with the forest officials and the fire brigade officials for taking further action.