GUWAHATI, Sept 7 - Environment and wildlife protection NGO Aaranyak organised a mass rally at Manas National Park on Sunday with the objective of enhancing and encouraging community participation.
The venue of the event was Kahitema, adjacent to Manas National Park. The rally was organised in association with the United Social Welfare Society and the Manas National Park administration.
Over 400 people participated in the mass rally in addition to schoolchildren from several different schools in the area.
�The rally was an effort to unite local people and spread awareness on the importance of protecting the World Heritage Site. Just a few days ago, encroachers had tried to trespass into the protected area. The rally thus comes as a timely intervention, even though it bears no direct connection to the incident of encroaching,� an Aaranyak spokesperson said.
Manas National Park is the second World Heritage Site of Assam, which is under threat due to various man-made factors. The protected forest area lies under the Bodoland Territorial Council administration, and the local communities are being encouraged to play a key role in protecting the national park.
The rally was attended by Dhoronidhor Boro, SDO, Saalbari; Dhoronidhor Boro, ACF; Hiranya Kumar Sarma, Director, Manas National Park; Dr Bibhuti Prasad Lahkar, programme secretary, Aaranyak, and Dr Namita Brahma of Aaranyak along with prominent citizens from the area.
