DIGBOI, April 1 � A day-long programme held on March 29 in two phases in the remote gaon panchayat area of Lankachi on the fringe of Lakhipathar Forest Range marked the beginning of the Green Tinsukia District Mission and wildlife conservation drive under the auspices of Tinsukia district administration and the Digboi Forest Division.
An on-the-spot essay competition on wildlife conservation and an art competition among the school students were held on the premises of Bokajan LP School in the morning. The second phase began in the afternoon with plantation of tree saplings in the school yard by Puru Gupta, Deputy Commissioner of Tinsukia and Ranjan Kumar Das, DFO, Digboi Forest Division. It was followed by a public meeting held in the sports ground of the school. The purpose of the meeting was stated by Khema Borah, president of the ZFMC of Dhoolijan.
The meeting was addressed by Puru Gupta and HN Sarma, retired principal of Margherita College. Both of them called upon the people of the locality to come forward and make the mission a grand success. In course of the meeting, the prize winners were awarded.
Later, another public awareness meeting was held in the community hall of Lankachi GP under the presidentship of Subanta Borah, president of the GP. The meeting was attended by RK Das, HN Sarma, Kusha Borah, member of Lakhipathat ZPC, Unis Selim, superintendent of Makum Forest Guard School, all the Range Officers of the seven Range Offices under the Digboi Forest Division, Rajib Rudra Tariang, wildlife biologist, Sailendra Mohan Das of Aaranyak, the office-bearers of Digboi Press Club, members and office-bearers of Evergreen Foundation, an NGO, the officials of the Digboi Forest Division and local people.
In the meeting, audiovisual presentations on the need for conservation of wildlife and their habitats were made by RK Das, RR Tariang and SM Das.
HN Sarma in his speech stressed on the need for active participation of the local public in the conservation efforts and the Green Mission of the government. He also said that the ZFMCs could be turned into genuine protection squads of the gradually depleting forest wealth in Assam. The meeting concluded with the consensus to have a collective session with all the representatives from the 30 ZFMCs under the Digboi Forest Division.
