Green activist raises concern over repeated fire incident at Kharghar hill. Environmentalists say that the repeated fire will not only destroy the greenery but there might also be some hidden agenda like a land grab. They alleged that this has become routine of every year.
Even Kharghar residents, and a local unit of Shiv Sena unit met Kharghar police seeking a thorough investigation in the repeated fire.
For the last few years, the incident of fire at Kharghar Hill during summer is being reported. However, most of the time, the fires were brought under control easily. However, the massive fire that broke out on March 16 evening lasted for around 7 hours. It was a herculean task for the Kharghar fire brigade as there is no proper road to reach on the top to douse the fire.
“Residents have been complaining for a long time about recurring fires on the hill with no visible action from any of the authorities,” said NatConnect Foundation director B N Kumar. The area is inaccessible, particularly during the night, added Kumar,
“There could be mischief behind the fire as the top of the hill being flat is a destination for holding picnic and party,” he said
Naresh Chandra Singh, another green activist says if unchecked, the area can be an ideal target for land grabbing. “We have been alerting the forest department for a long time and there seems to be confusion about the ownership issue, " Singh said.
He added that some area of the hill is controlled by CIDCO which allots patches for quarrying. Ideally, the entire hill range should be under the Forest Department.
Even the Kharghar Fire station admits that the place is not easily accessible and there might be some hidden agenda. As per CIDCO’s fire brigade, there is no proper road to reach the fire site. “The exact cause is not known but it seems it was a mischievous act by anti-social elements,” said an official from the fire station.
Sandipan Shinde, senior police inspector of Kharghar police station said that an FIR regarding the fire incident was already registered. “We are investigating the fire incident and questioning people around the area,” said Shinde.
