[ Karyir Riba ]
ROING, 30 Oct: The convocation ceremony for the 46th batch of the forest guard trainees was held on completion of their six months training at Arunachal Pradesh Forest Training Institute (APFTI) here in Lower Dibang Valley district on Wednesday.
Thirty-eight forest guard trainees completed their in-service training.
Forest guard Niraj Rai stood first, while Stephen Wangsu secured the second rank.
Doli Tassar, who secured the third rank, was also awarded the silver medal for Silviculture subject.
In the marathon race, Kipa Tam secured the first rank, followed by Gyamar Kora in the second place and Doli Tassar in third.
The APFTI was established in 1977 in Namsangmukh, and was later shifted to Roing in 1993. The institute was initially conducting training only for forest guards. The institute was upgraded and foresters are trained from time to time. Refresher courses of one week are conducted for forest guards, foresters and deputy forest rangers.
So far, 504 foresters, 933 forest guards and 79 forest watchers have been trained along with game watchers, assistant range managers, sub-assistant range managers among others.
The lush 35 acre training institute has a large complex of government quarters, academic blocks, hostels etc. The new hostel for 58 occupants and new academic block was constructed under JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Project. The campus now has a new look and has been revamped to conduct the trainings in quick succession. The institute promises to be a premier training institute. The senior faculty officers are RFOs who have served in various districts and ranges.
Forest guard S.Wangsu said, “We have learnt a lot from the faculties, who have tirelessly worked on imparting their knowledge and experience.”
“The state government must also aid this institute by not just giving it a facelift but equipping it as it is the lone forest training institute in the state. While the state is considered as one of the eighteen biodiversity hotspots in the world due to its rich biodiversity and diverse ecosystems, it would need a training institute with world class infrastructure for the state forest department to keep abreast with technological advancements. However, in the past few years, the institute and the many arboretums, nurseries and the training facilities were in a dilapidated condition,” opined an RFO.
