NE's first ever NIC sets up in Tripura sanctuary

Agartala, Oct 18 (UNI) In a bid to encourage eco-tourism in Tripura, the forest department set up the first ever Natural Interpretation Centre (NIC) in the entire North East (NE) at Clouded Leopard National Park and Sipahijala Wildlife Sanctuary yesterday.

Phayre's langur (locally known as Chashma Banar) primate species has been used as a bespectacled Mascot in the centre. It narrates, through a compact disc, the salient features of the sanctuary to the visitors and also guides them intelligently.

Talking to UNI here today Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) R P Tangwan said it was a unique NIC in the world with two in-suits and one ex-suit conservation centre, which had been replicated constantly for conservation of bio-diversity of north east as a whole and Tripura in particular.

He informed that the NIC was conceptualised in 2004 and accomplished by the department with technical support from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, to educate visitors about nature along with the relationship between humans and natural resources and park management policies.

''The main aim of NIC was to play a supportive role and encourage better interaction with visitors who were interested in interacting with nature as well as learning from it and bringing about a systematic change in the attitude of the civil society towards wild animals'', Mr Tangwan said.

The Phayre's langur sitting in the front of the NIC, welcomes the visitors and escort them to their wildlife journey through the centre, he said.

Moreover, a dedicated section of the NIC will deal with tribal culture and their role in ecological restoration, aimed at sensitising children as well as grown-ups about wildlife and environmental issues, Mr Tangwan added.

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