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- No tourist has ever trekked to Mugafi at 4,050 metres above mean sea level. But that has not stopped villagers in the most “disconnected” administrative circle in Arunachal Pradesh from readying the peak for visitors.
- The enthusiasm stems from their belief that the 157-km road to Vijaynagar, the circle headquarters, from the nearest connected town Miao would be paved soon to end an almost six-decade wait.
- Miao and Vijaynagar are in Changlang district of eastern Arunachal Pradesh.
- Mugafi, adjoining the State’s border with Myanmar, is part of the five-pass trek that the villagers have mapped around Vijaynagar in coordination with the Changlang district administration.
- The other four trek routes lead to Gphuka perched at 3,111 metres, Chaukan at 2,419 metres, and Hukawng and Siddi, both 2,110 metres.
- The road — more of a dirt track — to Vijaynagar has existed after a team of the Assam Rifles, India’s oldest paramilitary force, discovered the place in 1961.
- The road could not be upgraded because much of it passes through the 1,985-sq.km Namdapha National Park and Tiger Reserve.
- Consequently, local people depended either on the occasional flight operated by the armed forces from an advanced landing ground in Vijaynagar or the rare off-road vehicle sturdy enough to withstand the trip.
- For essentials, the people have relied primarily on porters who take five to seven days to walk from Miao with loads on their heads.
- The porterage made each commodity expensive, up to 1,500% over the maximum retail price.
- In December 2018, the Pema Khandu government in the State unveiled a project to link Vijaynagar with a motorable road.
- A long monsoon, officials said, came in the way of completing the project.
- “The road is almost completed barring the black-topping of a stretch of about 25 km. We expect tourists to visit the Vijaynagar area, arguably the most unexplored part of the country, once the road becomes motorable for adventure seekers.
Tourism project
- On September 29, he led a team of bureaucrats and local people to explore the trek routes and form a committee comprising villages nearest to these routes for a long-term tourism project.
- “This entails adoption of a trek route by a village and taking care of everything from clearing certain patches, carving steps, building toilets, resting places, setting up homestays and other facilities that adventure tourists need.
- We are providing them assistance such as trekking equipment worth ₹1 lakh to each village through sports firms.
- Vijaynagar-based Ronit Rana, anticipating a steady flow of tourists after the road is completed, said the trek routes and other destinations — all accessible on foot — have been classified from “easy” to “very tough” that only the fittest can attempt.
- “Mugafi is just 40 km from Vijaynagar, but the trip offering alpine meadows, orchid trails and birding, is very challenging over five days. We are sure the effort would be worth it for tourists.
- Among the other destinations charted are the “easy” eight-hour trek from Vijaynagar to Preetnagar Lake and the “average” one-day trek to the Hornbill Camp in Namdapha.
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB
