DHEMAJI, May 22 - The Jonai subdivision unit of the All Assam Students� Union has reiterated its demand to declare Poba Reserve Forest (RF) as a wildlife sanctuary for conservation of ecosystem of the region.
The AASU with the support of various local organisations has been demanding the government to take effective steps to declare Poba RF as a wildlife sanctuary, but the demand has fallen on deaf ears of the ministers, MLAs and officials of the State�s Environment & Forest Department.
In a bid to grow awareness on conservation of Poba RF at Jonai, the union is organising an open �Poba Marathon Race� at Jonai on the ensuing World Environment Day-2019. The objective of the programme is to sensitise the common people about importance of forest and wildlife conservation.
The day-long programme also includes a popular talk on the importance of forest and wildlife conservation besides an environmental exhibition and folk dance competition among school and college students.
Moreover, rock and music bands have been invited for cultural presentation on the occasion.
The organisers have invited AASU�s central committee vice-president Chittaranjan Basumatary and general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi and others to attend the programme.
Earlier too, the union had organised such a marathon race at Jonai and made the local people aware on the need of forest and wildlife protection.
In 2013, Mising Autonomous Council based at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district in collaboration with local NGOs organised �Poba Festival� at Jonai, wherein eminent environmentalists and wildlife officers from the region participated. The organisers later took an initiative at their level to press the authority to declare Poba RF as a wildlife sanctuary.
Located on the outskirts of Jonai town in the easternmost part of Dhemaji district, Poba RF is home to a variety of wild animals and birds besides medicinal plants and rare epiphytic orchids. Moreover, the evergreen forests and perennial streams flowing down from Arunachal hills present a model habitat wildlife including various carnivorous species.
There is an elephant corridor at Poba RF linking Daying Ering Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary of Arunachal Pradesh, Kobuchapori island and Dibru Saikhowa National Park at Upper Assam across the Brahmaputra river.
Recently, the foresters of Jonai range spotted a Royal Begal tiger in Poba RF, which was reported to the higher-ups of the Forest department.
