Hyderabad: The state forest department is investigating if there was any sabotage in the fire near the Navy’s radar station camp in Damagundam in Vikarabad district on Thursday. The fire, described as a ground fire by forest officials, was brought under control within 15 minutes. The incident has reignited debates over environmental concerns in the area as activists have been objecting to the radar station.
Principal chief conservator of forests RM Dobriyal said, “All forest fires are man-made. In this case, we are probing whether the fire was intentionally set with a specific purpose. The sabotage angle is also under investigation.” He said that the forest fire season begins in Dec and peaks by March, making such incidents more likely during this period.
Deputy conservator of forests Madhavar Rao confirmed that the affected area was primarily grassland and described the damage as a ‘linear patch’. He added, “Someone intentionally lit the fire. Most forest fires are caused by humans.” Environmentalists have expressed strong suspicion that the fire may have been deliberately started as part of a forest-clearing effort. tnn
