Probe demanded into ‘manmade’ fire at Lalitgiri

CUTTACK: A day after several valuable trees were reduced to ashes in a fire on the Buddhist site Lalitgiri hill, locals have demanded a probe into the alleged manmade incident.The hill dotted with Buddhist monuments and a museum showcasing precious relic caskets beside Buddhist sculptures and images such as Manjushree, Tara, Jambhala, Dhyani, Prajnaparamita, Vasudhara, Aparajita, etc. is protected by Archeological Survey of India (ASI).   As per reports, some persons had set fire to dried leaves on the ground near the dilapidated and abandoned Pushpagiri Bhawan at around 7 pm on Thursday. The fire spread to the upper part of the hill endangering the lives of animals and birds inhabiting the lush green forest covering the hill.

On being informed, a fire fighting team from Mahanga rushed to the spot and doused the fire at around 9.30 pm.  “It was unfortunate to see the trees burning on the hills protected by ASI. The abandoned Pushpagiri Bhawan, an inspection bungalow constructed by Rural Development department in 1998 has turned into a safe haven for anti-social elements who might have set fire in the area,” said Debendra Sahoo, secretary of Buddhyan, a local Buddhist cultural outfit.

He said the miscreants might have set fire to steal the precious relic caskets from the museum. A probe should be initiated and necessary action taken to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, Sahoo said. Buddhayan president Pradipta Bhuyan said the fire was brought under control on time else it would have caused more damage to monuments on the hill. “Stringent action should be initiated against the miscreants who had set fire to the green forest surrounding the hill,” he said.

Superintending archaeologist, Puri Circle, DB Garnayak termed the matter as an unfortunate one. “We have filed an FIR with Mahanga police station in connection with the incident and requested police to nab the culprits and initiate stringent action against them,” he said.