Manas Ever Welfare Society (MEWS)

Manas Ever Welfare Society (MEWS) was established by a group of youths from 5 nearby villages of Manas NP. It was established about 13 years back and officially registered as a society on 3^rd January 2006. The sole motto of MEWS is conservation and also promote Community Based Tourism (CBT). 

MEWS has attained maturity with decade long experiences. They are now able to curve a niche in regional, national as well as international tourism sectors. The MEWS executive body has proved that they are hardworking, collaborative, ambitious, visionary and willing to set history for Manas Ever Welfare. MEWS might be an ideal social group and successful Community-Based Business Model across the Assam and  Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC).   

Different Activites of MEWS

Conservation Awareness  

General awareness program to sensitize common front towards conservation of Manas is one of the main activity of MEWS. Society has organized different awareness program with respect to particular National, International, and Regional themes. Programs are like- World Wildlife Day, World Earth Day, World Environment Day, World Tiger Day, Wildlife Week, World Rhino Day etc. Every year MEWS targetted to reach 5000 people along the fringe of  Manas through the awareness program. Last 12 years, MEWS has spread conservation messages more than 70,000 general public including college and school students. 

MEWS always open their eyes and ears for all wildlife-related incident near to Manas. As such, they keep regular touch with village heads, clubs members, teachers and school students for this purpose. Society members had alternately engaged regular rhino monitoring activities during the initial time of translocations (2008-2012). They also actively engaged themselves to rescue wildlife in collaboration with fringe community and park authority.

Plastic sewage collection inside Manas  in the year 2008

Every year MEWS members removed plastic wastage, different plastic rappers, drinking water & wine bottles, from tourist zones of Manas. The society has practiced this program from the year 2006 in collaboration with WWF-India and Manas Park Authority.

MEWS Members(Mr. Lama and Mr. Sikram) and One Park Officials(Late Islam) with Rescued Vulture

MEWS(Mr. Sanjit and Mr. Sikram) members with rescued Python from the village area

3.Human-Wildlife Conflict Mitigation 

MEWS has successfully implemented Human-WIldlife management related Department of Science and Technology (Govt. India) funded project from the period of 2013-2017.  As a part of the project, society has implemented INR 12,00,0000 (Twelve lakh) in two villages. The villagers get benifits from the project implementation. They installed 10 solar street lights in most Human-Elephant conflict-prone areas. Under this project, society has started lemon bio-fence to check elephant passage into the villages. Villagers also earned financial benefits from the harvested lemon from the bio-fence.

The Society has constructed six elephant depredation tower at the fringe of Manas in collaboration with ATREE in the year 2008-2010. They have supported torchlights, necessary field gears for the support to manage human-elephant conflict. 

Lemon Cultivation to Check Wild Elephant Conflict in Fringe of Manas

Agriculture Activity

With the support of government and non-government agencies, MEWS started their agricultural programs in some selected village hamlets. Where pineapple cultivation was one of the successful activities in Kahibari village. This project was implemented with the support of the Agriculture Department Government of (BTC) Assam.

MEWS Pine Apple Demonstration Plot

 Animal Husbandry Related Activity
Piggery is one of the most successful models of livelihood project for villagers. With support from  Department of Science and Technology Government of India (DST), International Rhino Foundation (IRF), World Wilde Fund for Nature India (WWF-India) MEWS has initiated a piggery distribution program to low income families.
The objective of piggery support was to direct support to increase additional household income and raise goodwill for the conservation of Manas. They supported one female piglet with food for about one year till the birth of pig. Just after the birth, each beneficiary has to return 2 piglets to MEWS and then society has supported a similar way to another beneficiary.  With this support each family has additional annual income INR 40000(Forty thousand) generated every year.

Besides Piggery MEWS has initiated dairy farming, Goattery to the benefit of fringe villagers of Manas NP.

Tourism Related Activity

Tourism is the main livelihood of the Society(MEWS). They have started this venture with the kind support of  Mr. Abhijit Rabha past Field Director of Manas TP. He provided one abandon building at Mathanguri to keep their tourist. They also repaired one abandon office building of the Department of Water Resource to keep tourist at Bansbari range. In the 2006-07 fiscal year, society has earned only INR 80000 (Eighty Thousand).  They were not disheartened and approached to Mr. Kampa Borgoyari Deputy Chief of Bodoland Territorial Council. Mr. Borgoyari was so pleased to see the enthusiasm of two dozen village boys belong to Manas. He assured all kind of support from BTC to grow their business venture. With BTC support MEWS has started four two bedroom cottages and one raised bungalow with four rooms.  They named their tourism venture as Florican Cottages.

                           Old Campus of Florican Cottages

Initial Campus of MEWS

Now MEWS have well furnished  9 rooms including three luxury rooms and a restaurant. They also provided Nature guide, Jeep safari, Tracking, Village tour, Special Bird, Cultural Programs and many activities. They 6  regular staff and more than 12 temporary staff for regular operation of cottages.

High Raised Platform Cottages (Chang Bungalow) of Florican Cottages

 Tourist after the inauguration of Florican  Cottage

Present Campus of Florican Cottages 

 Recognition 

Manas Ever Welfare Society has received following awards for their contribution to conservation and tourism promotion.
1. Tourism Promotion Award 27th September 2014, Department of Tourism, Government of Assam.

2. Gor Surakhya Veer Puraskar, 9th October 2017, Prabhakar Barua Memorial Trust

3. Tourism Achievement Award 7th January 2018, the Rotary Club

4. Tourism Achievement Award 20th January 2018, Governor of Assam. 

   Team MEWS and their Achievements 

Some Comment from Tourist-

1. Very friendly staff made it a pleasant stay.T here was always plenty of good food available.Unfortunately, we had lots of rain but the Safaris were heaps of fun Good Luck for MEWS…. Rudizer Troll Germany 21-03-2011

2. As a first visit, we spent a very nice time with great hospitality…… Looking forward come back again

 Dr.Leif Masenger, Sandeberg

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Contact Persons

Mr. Bubul Nath
+91 9101126645
Mr. Sikram Barman
+919613438329
Mr.Lama
+919101120558
Email-mewssociety@yahoo.com
Website- www.floricancottage.com