Plea to declare Poba reserve forest as wildlife sanctuary

From a Correspondent
DHEMAJI, Jan 10: Poba reserve forest, the only rain forest in the north bank of the Brahmaputra, should be declared as a tiol wildlife sanctuary, as demanded by the Save Poba Rain Forest (SPRF), an NGO of Joi. Poba forest is the lifeline of Joi which not only saves Joi from flood and erosion caused by Siang-Lali River (Brahmaputra), but also conserves the rich biodiversity. The rich biodiversity is now being threatened by the poachers and illegal timber traders. Many valuable trees have been felled by miscreants. The reserve forest has all the factors which are required to make it a wildlife sanctuary. The organization has urged the government several times but Poba is yet to be declared a wildlife sanctuary. If Poba reserve forest is converted to a wildlife sanctuary, then the rich biodiversity of Poba will be protected. To check the poachers and illegal timber smugglers, security force should be deployed at Poba, Bahir  chile, Rigby and tun Jelem, opined the local people. They have also urged the Government of Assam to check the Siang-Lali river erosion through proper scientific planning.