'Report on forest fire will be submitted in two months'

A detailed probe is being conducted into the forest fire in Theni district in March last, in which over 20 persons were killed and a report will be submitted in two months, Principal Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management, Atulya Mishra, today said.

"The enquiry commission will submit a detailed report about the forest fire in Kurangani hills within two months," Mishra, who heads the enquiry panel into the mishap, said.

The Tamil Nadu government constituted the inquiry committee, which has already enquired more than 70 persons, including family members of the trekkers.

Mishra said the panel had also decided to question one Prabhu, organiser of the trekking expedition, who is now in judicial custody.

"We have received some clues about the fire and how it broke out and we would give the same in detail in the report," he added.

The Revenue Secretary, who conducted the inquiry at the Collectorate here, said he recorded the version of some trekkers and their family members today.

He further said the panel would give some recommendations to the government on how to prevent forest fires and some safety measures to be followed during trekking.

Over 20 persons of a 36-member team from Chennai and Tirupur and Erode districts, on a trekking expedition were killed in the forest fire in Kurangani hills in Theni district, some 70 km from Madurai, on March 10.