Monday, June 26, 2006

More about Jairampur

Jairampur & adjacent forests fall under an IBA notified by IBCN as Namtok- Namheik-Nampong-Manmao. This is a small IBA compared the neighbouring Namdhapha - however, the area has a similar richness in butterflies and a better road access than Namdhapha

Three full-day trekking routes are identified (subject to change acc. local wisdom of Arif)
  • Rima-Lungpang Area

  • Kanlala-Manmao Area

  • Namgoi-Kovin Area
and all these places are excellent butterfly areas. The forests here are interspread with jhoom plantations and a river or a stream criss crosses the forests in most paths. The idea is to divide the team into small units and drop them along the route and pick them back in the evening. This way we will get a very good cover of the area and Arif can finally come up with a consolidated checklist of this area.

Apart from butterflies, people can also keep a look out for birds (several mid-altitudinal species occur here in abundance), dragonflies (extremly interesting), spiders, snakes etc.

Our stay is arranged at a place which is centrally located from all these places. There is excellent habitat very next this and some of us can take some school children during one of the "less-field work" days to show the butterflies. Same as the popular "Breakfast with Butterflies" programme.

And on the weather - rains are inevitable in Arunchal. Twin piece rain coat is a MUST for field work. A plastic bag which can enclose all the bags, equipments & clothes of the participant is also required to keep them dry at the camp.

- By Parveen J

Thursday, June 01, 2006

How to reach Jairampur

Note: This is draft document and may undergo many changes over comming weeks.

Where is Jairampur?

We are located near Tinsukia, a district of Upper Assam.

Nearest Railway Station - Tinsukia - 100 Km (2.5 hrs Drive)

Nearest Airhead - Dibrugarh (Mohanbari) 150 Km (3 hrs. Drive)

Jairampur is situated on NH 153 (WW II fame Stillwell/Ledo Bhamo road) which ends at Indo-Myanmar border, 32 km from Jairampur.

How to reach Jairampur ?

A Distance Chart

By Train
From Mumbai
Two trains are coming to Guwahati from Mumbai each week.
That is 5645 Dadar Guwahati Express leaving Mumbai early morning on Wednesday and Satureday and reaching Guwahati late afternoon on Thursday and Sunday respectively. This means the people coming from Mumbai will reach Jairampur at around 7.30 AM either on Friday or Sunday. The train timings for reaching Guwahati are just fine as the Trains/Buses starting from Guwahati to Tinsukia are in the evening/nights only.

From Southern India
There is one weekly train ( from Chennai which is directly comes Tinsukia / Dibrugarh runs on Thursdays from Chennai and arrives Tinsukia at 20.00 hrs on Saturday. People coming from this train will reach Jairampur around 22.30 hrs on the same day if train is coming on time.

For the return journey
Train leaving from Guwahati to Mumbai direction on Tue/Wed/Sunday only(departure from Jairampur Mon/Tue/Sat nights) and for Chennai side these are on Tue/Fri/Sunday only (Departure from Jairampur on Mon/Thurs/Sat).
That means members from Mumbai have to stay here up Satureday (26 August) and South bound members have to stay up to Thrusday (24 August ), if they wish they can accompany their Mumbai partners and stay back here up to Saturday.

By Air
There are flights available till Dibrugarh and it would be convinient for people coming by air to fly to Dibrugarh rather than Guwahati there by avoiding a night's travel by bus.

What are the expenses?
Transportation -Rs. 150.00
Food - 200.00
Stay - 250.00
These are tentative calculations for per person per day. The costs are on higher side due to remoteness of the location.
5 Days program x Rs. 600 per day = ~Rs. 3000 per head.

We are working on minimizing the costs as well as trying to get some sort of subsidy for the program, so that the expenses will be reduced.

Note : You are welcome to plan other trips (Kaziranga, Eagle Nest, Dibang, Namdhapha etc) outside the schedule of the meet and hence can plan for a longer duration vacation in the North East.