Minister for Forests Dindigul C. Sreenivasan on Tuesday said that the one-man commission headed by an IAS officer on the Kurangani fire will submit its report soon.
Speaking at the International Day for Biological Diversity celebrations here, he said that initial reports on the fire had suggested that the trekkers did not heed the advice from the Forest Department. However, the final report would provide an exact picture of the incident, he added.
He said that the department, in coordination with the health and animal husbandry departments, was taking steps to prevent the spread of the Nipah virus to the State from neighbouring Kerala. When department officials appraised the Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami of the need for fire-fighting equipment, he had asked them to purchase it, the Minister added.
Similarly, the Chief Minister had asked the department to replant rubber trees under the Arasu Rubber Corporation and replace old equipment used by Tan Tea keeping in mind the welfare of persons who had been repatriated from Sri Lanka.
Mr. Palaniswami had also approved appointment of forest guards and anti-poaching staff, he added. The Minister, who is chairman of the State Bio Diversity Board, also released the logo of the authority.
Mohammed Nasimuddin, Secretary, Environment and Forests, said that the Chief Minister was very keen on learning about the Gulf of Mannar and the coral reefs there. He had also directed the department to arrange for adequate waterholes for the animals this summer.
R.K. Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force, said that Tamil Nadu was able to increase its forest cover and maintain the ecological hot spots only because of the ethos and values of its people.
Chief Wildlife Warden T.P. Raghunath said that wild boars and bats that had set off an alarm after the Nipa virus too were part of the bio diversity and so were viruses and bacteria.
