Morigaon (Assam) [India], August 4 : The Seven Sisters Development Assistance (SESTA) in collaboration with Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary of Assam's Morigaon district, on Monday organised an awareness programme regarding an initiative of massive plantation drive in Mayong area as a measure to mitigate climate change and also to provide economic benefits to the farmers, Eco Development Committee (EDC) members and interested plant growers of the area.
The NGO SESTA along with Forest staff of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary led by Range Officer Pranjal Baruah surveyed and planned to plant 53 bighas of common and individual land with the assistance of funds provided by the associate companies with native and hybrid high yielding plant species which mainly include fruits, Sericulture and timber species like Mahogany, Mango, Red Sander, Guava, Som and Keseru.
"More than 30 interested farmers and social activists joined the awareness meeting today at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, where they were briefed about the aim, importance and direct benefits of the project. A demonstration regarding the scientific planting of trees was also given to the beneficiaries, where the organic practices have been promoted. The beneficiaries will receive varieties of valuable plant seedlings, sufficient organic manure, bio-fungicides, tree guards, and technical assistance from the NGO," Pranjal Baruah, Range Officer of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, said.

He further said that the forest department will assist in the Registration process of the crop and also provide necessary technical assistance to the beneficiaries for this initiative.
Notable persons who joined the awareness meeting include Pranjal Baruah, Range Officer of Pobitora WLS, Najrul Islam, Journalist, Deepa Koch, Team Anchor, SESTA NGO, Akaingshya Das, Executive, Sesta NGO, Monjula Rahman, Dy Ranger, Pobitora and other forest staff.
Earlier, the Assam Forest department provided a compensation amount of Rs 2.17 lakh to 29 farmers of Mayong adjoining to Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary in Morigaon district for crop damage caused by animals.
Pranjal Baruah, Forest Ranger of Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, said that the farmers of Mayong applied for the compensation at Range Forest Officer, Pobitora this year and based on their request, the forest department has released Rs 7500 to each farmer for the damage caused by straying animals like Rhino, Buffalo, Wild boars, etc to their crops like Maize, Rice, Mustard, etc in the last crop season.
"The Forest department has provided Rs 2,17,500 as compensation to 29 farmers of Mayong area. Most of the damages were faced by the farmers of Satibheti and Rajamayong area due to straying buffalo. The dedicated team at Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has been tirelessly working to mitigate the impact of stray animals, successfully returning them to their natural habitat with the assistance of departmental elephants and 13 newly established Anti Depredation Squads in nearby villages," Pranjal Baruah said.