Old Jalukie forest fire catches fire; govt. asked to take action

Jalukie Pumling Nko and Old Jalukie village council has taken strong exception of the forest fire that engulfed the western portion of the Jalukie Community Biodiversity Reserve, on the night of March 29.
The councils have termed the forest fire incident as “ill intended and destructive, a result of some retarded minds retreating to barbarism, causing huge loss to nature and resources which are irreversible.”
In a press release by chairman Old Jalukie village council Hainkieng and chairman Jalukie Pumling Nko Kieleu stated that the Jalukie villagers have responded instantaneously and was doing their best to douse the forest fire as early as possible. To discourage such incidents in future, the joint council asserted that, it would leave no stones unturned to bring the culprit to book and at the same time have requested the government authorities to investigate into the incident and apprehend the culprit(s) and make an exemplary penalization, that that will be a factor for positive change in the society.
The council has reminded that the Jalukie community biodiversity reserve had come a long way since its declaration in 1986, and stands tall as one pioneering community conservation initiative in the region and a testimony of a transitional tribal community who had foregone all their tribal instincts for a committed conservation effort. Besides, the existence of a strong prohibitory order from the government especially, the Peren District Planning & Development Board as well as the State Chief Secretariat obligating all villages for a concerted effort in biodiversity conservation and imposing stern penalization for non-compliance, is a concept yet to be understood and taken seriously by the village authorities.