Thembang, one of the three villages selected for the eco-tourism p

Summer getaways at Tawang homestays

Villagers in Arunachal Pradesh’s picturesque Tawang district are all set to welcome tourists right into their homes.

A unique tourism model — called Homestays — will allow tourists to stay in typical Arunachalee houses. And for the villagers, it will be a noble way to earn some money.

The project is a brainchild of the Arunachal branch of WWF India, which is working with the residents of three villages in Tawang district to provide community-based eco-tourism services to tourists.

“This is an alternate income source as conservation incentive to the villagers and is the first of its kind in Arunachal Pradesh,” said officer in-charge of WWF India, Arunachal Pradesh, Pijush Kumar Dutta.

He said community-based eco-tourism projects have a vast potential in these villages — both as a livelihood option and as a conservation strategy.

At present, the WWF India will promote nine homestays, of which five will be in Thembang and the rest in Lumpo and Muchat villages.Two persons will be able to stay in each homestay. “It will be a complete home-like feeling,” Dutta said.

WWF India will fund the development of the homestays and home-based restaurants in these villages as revolving funds to the committees constituted by the villagers.

Porters’ day

The Manipur government’s move to ban entry of all kinds of vehicles in the market areas of Imphal may have angered shoppers, traders and transport services, but for the porters, it is a blessing in disguise.

The Ibobi Singh government banned all vehicles, including two wheelers and rickshaws, in the shopping areas as part of its security measure to prevent militant attacks. The move was taken after militants exploded an IED at Imphal’s VIP colony last month and exploded a grenade on the state Assembly campus in March.

With no vehicles allowed inside the shopping districts, people have to engage porters to lift heavy materials, even rice bags and irons.

“Earlier, I could hardly collect Rs 100 a day, now we can easily earn up to Rs 200 a day by transporting all kinds of goods on our backs,” said Manju Kapoor, a porter from Bihar.

The porters, mostly from other states, wish this arrangement would continue for some more months. And it seems their prayers have been heard, as the Ibobi Singh government does not have any immediate plan to allow vehicles inside the markets of the city.

Honour chair

Vaishnav saint-reformer Madhabdev may soon find a place of pride at Tezpur University

Taking the lead is none other than chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who has assured a socio-cultural NGO working to preserve and popularise the contributions of the saint reformer, that he was seriously considering their request to institute a chair after Madhabdev at the university.

“With the chief minister himself making the assurance, we are sure that things will start moving,” Bihpuria MLA Bhupen Bora said.