[ Prafulla Kaman ]
JONAI, 7 Feb: The second edition of the three-day Poba Forest Festival began at Tinmailghat Bali Chapori here in Assam’s Dhemaji district, bordering Arunachal’s Pradesh’ East Siang district, on Friday.
The festival is being organised by the Mising Autonomous Council (MAC) of Assam, and is being participated in by people from Arunachal, including forest officials, NGO activists and community leaders.
MAC Chairman Sunil Pegu declared the festival open. This was followed by opening of a book fair, a photo exhibition, a handloom expo, and a food mela by invited dignitaries.
A documentary on wild resources of Poba reserved forest (RF) and adjoining areas was also screened in the evening.
The festival aims to generate awareness on protecting the Poba RF and conserving its flora and fauna.
The upper portion of the Poba RF falls under the Ruksin forest range in Pasighat territorial forest division, as National Highway 515, which passes along the Assam-Arunachal boundary, bifurcates the RF. Moreover, there is an elephant corridor in the Poba RF, linking Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary in Arunachal and the Dibru-Saikhowa Wildlife Sanctuary in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district, across the Brahmaputra river.
The festive events also include jungle trekking, birdwatching, wildlife photography, a seminar on tourism and ecological issues, exhibition-cum-sale of tribal attires, and display of ethnic cultures, besides water sports and literary competitions.
Poba RF was notified as an RF in 1924 (during British rule), but it is gradually losing its green cover due to constant encroachment and erosion caused by the Lali and the Siang rivers in the last two decades.
