No fresh fire smoke were visible at scenic Dzükou valley on Saturday, as authorities apprised the Kohima District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), which reviewed the Dzükou fire operation.
According to a DIPR report, SP Kohima, Manoj Kumar informed that the ground operation team reported that smoke from across the mountain started appearing at around 10 a.m. However, due to high ridge and inaccessibility by the ground operation team, the smoke was doused by one sortie of India Air Force bambi bucket operation.
Deputy commissioner and chairman DDMA Kohima, Mohammed Ali Shihab also informed that the state government has decided to continue with the recce cum bambi bucket operation on January 10.
Meanwhile, according to a defence release, teams of security forces under Spear Corps along with NDRF were deployed to extinguish the wildfire in Dzukou valley.
The teams were successful in dousing fire in a large area and creating fire lines to contain further spread. Spear Corps teams are also catering for critical logistics support to NDRF team at Dzukou Valley, the release said.
Forest fire on Manipur side under control: Biren Singh
IMPHAL, JAN 9: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Saturday claimed that forest fire on the Manipur side of the Dzuko valley was almost under control.
“The fire in almost all the areas on the Manipur side had been brought under control, ‘’ he said.
Regarding the alleged obstruction in the construction of road to Dzuko from Nagaland side, the chief minister said that he had discussed the matter with his counterpart Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio.
It may be mentioned that a group of people purportedly from Southern Angami area had strongly objected to the construction of a 15 km road from Mao to the Valley by the Manipur government.
After the talk with the Nagaland chief minister, the road construction has resumed, Singh told reporters.
Manipur government has also taken up works for construction of a guest house at the valley, the hotspot for adventure tourism.
He said that a team of engineers of Manipur Police Housing Corporation Ltd had been deputed to conduct a survey for the construction of the guest house.
As of now, Singh said two base camps had been opened to accommodate fire fighters at the site.
The chief minister added that state public health engineering (PHE) minister L Dikho was regularly visiting the area to supervise all the matters related to Dzuko.
Officials of tourism and art and culture departments had also been instructed to visit Maopungdong village to inspect whether another guest house can be constructed there, he added.
