In a recurring act of suspected arson, a hill in Baryabhat, Raia, was deliberately set on fire late Wednesday night. This marks the fourth such incident at the same location in recent times, raising serious concerns among authorities and residents alike.
Firefighters Battle Against Odds
Firefighters from the Margao fire station received an emergency call around 2 am on Thursday and rushed to the scene. However, their efforts to control the blaze were severely hampered by a critical problem: the lack of proper access to the hilltop. Their vehicles could not reach the fire, forcing them to resort to manual methods.
"The fire did not happen on its own. Somebody lit the fire during the night, and it spread upwards over the hill," stated Herculano Gill Souza, the fire officer attached to the Margao fire station. He confirmed this was the fourth such fire incident at the identical location. With vehicles stranded, firefighters had to use fire beaters wherever possible to bring the flames under control.
Echoes of 2023's Devastating Forest Fires
This latest incident brings back grim memories of the widespread forest fires that ravaged parts of South Goa in 2023. According to a written reply by Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane to the state assembly in July 2023, the forest department had registered 34 cases related to forest fires that year.
Alarmingly, the perpetrators in most of these incidents were never identified. Barring just two cases where accused were named, the majority of the fire-starters remained unknown, highlighting the challenge of preventing and prosecuting such crimes.
Significant Ecological and Financial Fallout
The 2023 fires resulted in substantial ecological damage to Goa's green cover. The scale of the destruction forced the government to allocate significant funds for restoration. Over Rs 2 crore was earmarked for restoration plantation across nearly 400 hectares of affected forest land.
The repeated targeting of the Baryabhat hill in Raia suggests a pattern that authorities are struggling to break. Without adequate access for emergency vehicles and continued challenges in identifying culprits, preventing such deliberate acts of environmental damage remains a persistent issue for South Goa.
