‘Forest Fire Awareness’ cricket tourney held

Belpahar: The Belpahar Forest Range (Jharsuguda Division) hosted a one-day “Forest Fire Awareness” cricket tournament at Ratan Tata stadium on Sunday. Led by Range Officer Pradeep Nayak, the event featured the participation of four teams.

In the final match, Vana Suraksha Samiti (VSS) XI claimed the championship after defeating OFSDP XI. Despite losing the toss and being sent in to bat, VSS XI posted a solid 73 for 5 wickets in 6 overs. In response, OFSDP XI struggled to find momentum, finishing as runners-up after being restricted to just 25 for 7.

The match was officiated by umpires Prajwal Patel and Ganesh Chandra Marai. Prahlad Nayak, District Wildlife Warden, Jharsuguda, inaugurated the tournament as chief guest. At the closing ceremony, Jharsuguda DFO Manu Ashok Bhatt attended as chief guest and distributed prizes in the presence of Awadh Kishore Pandey, GM MCL Lakhanpur; Susanta Das, Vice-President of TRL Krosaki and Surendra Kumar Bhoi, Principal, Belpahar Junior College.

On the occasion, Hamid Kumar Mahapatra and Narottam Pradhan were felicitated for their contribution to forest and environmental protection. The programme was coordinated with support from Belpahar forester Sunil Kumar Bhoi, forest staff and Odisha Forestry Sector Development Project (OFSDP) members.