Forest personnel in Keonjhar arrested three individuals on Monday for allegedly setting fire to multiple locations in the Kanjipani section of the Bhuyan Juang Pidha range, which falls under the Keonjhar forest division. The accused were reportedly cutting and burning trees for podu cultivation, a traditional form of shifting agriculture, in the Kakharua forest area.
Accused Identified
The arrested persons have been identified as Lalmohan Naik (59), a resident of Lungajhar village, and Shirpani Juang (45) and Suba Juang (42), both from Kanjipani village. Their bail pleas were rejected by the authorities.
Legal Proceedings
Following their arrest, the accused were produced before a local court, which denied their bail applications. The forest department has initiated further investigation into the matter to assess the extent of damage caused by the fires.
Podu cultivation, also known as shifting cultivation, is a practice where forest land is cleared by cutting and burning vegetation to create agricultural fields. This method is often illegal in protected forest areas due to its detrimental impact on the environment, including loss of biodiversity and increased risk of wildfires.
The forest personnel have urged locals to refrain from such activities and report any suspicious behavior to prevent further damage to the forest ecosystem.
