"Though he is no more with us, his effort to conserve

forest paid dividends with the state government giving due recognition," Tamuk said. The tree was planted to obtain rubber from it during the time of practicing jhum cultivation in the area and it is believed that the sapling of the tree might have been brought from nearby Myanmar by him. The tree may grow still larger in the coming days as it grows vertically, Tagom Darang, an elder of the village, said. "If proper care is taken and the state government constructs a porter track from Kallek to the spot where the tree is located, the site will become one of the hotspots for tourists in the state," said Tajir Tamuk of Kallek village, who serves as an orthopaedic surgeon at Dibrugarh-based Aditya Diagnostics & Hospital. Tamuk also stated that an ancient bat cave is situated just nearby the giant tree and if it is explored, it too would become a favourite tourist destination. The Governor had last month awarded Rs 15,000 to Takom Tamuk, a resident of the village, and Rs 10,000 to Rai Yayer, another villager, for locating the second largest tree � a banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) with a girth of 17 metres at Kankar Nallah near Nirjuli under Banderdewa forest division in Papum Pare district.