Mysuru: “A forest fire usually does not start on its own. In most of the cases, it is the handiwork of some anti-social elements,” opined Conservator of Forests (CF) T. Balachandra, Director, Bandipur Tiger Reserve. He was speaking at an Environmental Education Workshop organised for journalists by Forest Department in association with Parisara Foundation and Mysuru District Journalists’ Association at Bandipur campus recently. 

Alleging that in most of the cases, forest fires are caused by human beings, Balachandra said that forest fires are therefore preventable and sought cooperation from general public, in particular people living adjacent to forest areas.

Retired senior IFS officer Kantaraju and conservationist Rajkumar D. Urs of Wildlife Conservation Foundation also spoke on the occasion. Anantha Narayan of Parisara Foundation, President of Mysuru District Journalists’ Association C.K. Mahendra, Kiran Kumar and others were present on the occasion.