When politicians and locals show up together with saplings in hand, you know something different is going on. On Sunday, July 5, Mebo MLA Oken Tayeng didn’t just give a speech about the environment — he led one of the most visible plantation drives East Siang district has seen this season, heading deep into Ayeng and Kiyit villages under the banner of Van Mahotsav and the Eco Clean Mebo Mission (ECMM).
A Mission That’s More Than Just Planting Trees
The Eco Clean Mebo Mission isn’t a new project that gets announced and forgotten in a drawer. It has been pushing community-led conservation in the Mebo Sub-Division with a structured approach that actually involves people on the ground. This time, the plantation drive saw some heavy participation — the Baba 11 team from Ayeng village and the Siyon Sirum group from Kiyit village both showed up in full strength. That kind of community ownership is rare, and honestly, it’s the only thing that makes any environmental programme worth its salt.
What Oken Tayeng Said — And Why It Matters
Tayeng didn’t sugarcoat it with vague environmental slogans. Addressing the villagers at both locations, he drove home the point that trees aren’t just scenic additions to a landscape or props for eco-tourism brochures. They clean the air we breathe, protect water sources, hold the soil together against erosion, shelter biodiversity, and quietly fight back against the worst effects of climate change. He spoke about legacy — that protecting these forests is about the generations who come after us, not just a feel-good Sunday morning exercise. That message clearly landed, given how many turned up.
Officials Put Real Pressure on Long-Term Care
ECMM Mission Manager Olen Megu Damin was direct about one thing that most plantation drives fail at — the days after the cameras leave. He urged every participant to commit to nurturing these saplings over the coming years, because planting them is just the beginning. ADC and ECMM Chairperson Nancy Yirang echoed that completely. She told the villagers that protecting the saplings they plant is their greatest responsibility — these are a legacy, she said, not just a weekend activity. The emphasis on post-plantation care is something that sets this mission apart from the usual photo-op drives that dot the region’s calendar.
A Room Full of Stakeholders — For Once
The event brought together local administrators, elected representatives, village headmen, Circle Officer Toimi Tagi, and a crowd of volunteers and residents. Tayeng wrapped up by thanking everyone from the ADC to the ZPM of Mebo Banggo-II — a sign that this wasn’t a top-down order but a genuine collective effort.
A forest doesn’t grow in a day, and it definitely doesn’t grow from one plantation drive. But when an MLA walks into a village with soil on his hands and a clear message, and when the people of that village actually show up — that’s when things start to change. Mebo seems to understand that.
— Naitik
Abotani TV
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