TURA: In a first of its kind for a head of government in recent memory, Meghalaya Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma has on Tuesday led a team of officials on a nine km trek towards the foothills of the Nokrek National Biosphere to get a first hand experience about the ecological situation prevailing in this crucial forested region and find ways to boost tourism without disturbing the flora and fauna of the region.
The chief minister and his entourage, that included West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner Ram Singh, district police chief Dr M G R Kumar, Dadenggre Sub-Divisional Officer Swapnil Tembe and village elders and the youth, swapped their vehicles for sneakers and began the trekking from Chandigre village all the way up towards Daribokgre village, approximately 9 km distance, making use of traditional jungle paths used by villagers since time immemorial.
The Chief Minister, who is known to be an ardent fan of sports and an exercise enthusiast, led the pack up the steep and slippery paths in sweltering heat on a hot summer day. Along the way he interacted with villagers they came across encouraging them to preserve nature.
He directed the officials accompanying him on the trek to map the trekking route from the foothills of Nokrek and to come up with a plan to promote and market the destination to attract tourists.
“The Nokrek region is of immense importance to the ecology of Garo Hills and we need to protect and preserve it. At the same time, we want to understand the potentials of promoting the destination for tourism without disturbing nature,” said the chief minister.
At Daribokgre village, the chief minister took part in a tree plantation programme with school-going children and interacted with the villagers before heading back through the same tracks they had scaled down towards Chandigre village, another 9 kms away.
In his meeting with the villagers, Conrad Sangma urged upon them to take utmost care of their natural surroundings and the Nokrek Biosphere which would go a long way in protecting the environment and also lead to sustainable livelihood for the locals by way of nature tourism.
He also asked the villagers to ensure visiting tourists do not destroy nature’s beauty by littering the place. He gave a suggestion for a total ban on carrying of plastic water bottles to the village for which the villagers could replace by providing clean drinking water to the tourists.
The Nokrek National Park (Biosphere) is a hotspot of biodiversity in Meghalaya. In 2009 UNESCO added the park to its list of Biosphere Reserves.
The biosphere is home to the mother germoplasm of Citrus Indica (locally known as Memang Narang) which was discovered by science researchers. This discovery paved the way for the establishment of the National Citrus gene Sanctuary-cum-Biosphere Reserve covering an area of 47 square kilometers.
Nokrek is also noted for its wild varieties of citrus fruits that provide a gene pool for commercially produced citrus. It is also home to a remnant population of the Red Panda, Hoolock Gibbons and the Asian elephant.