Old Naga Cemetery cleaned through community initiative

DIMAPUR, OCT 26 (NPN): DMC councillor and Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Nagaland president V. Khekato Awomi, in collaboration with the City Tower Business Owners Welfare Association (CTBOWA) and Hazi Park Business Welfare Committee (HPBWC), organised a joint cleanliness drive at the Old Naga Cemetery, Dimapur, on October 24 and 26.
The initiative, which involved volunteers from Wards 6 and 10, was undertaken to restore the cemetery that had become overgrown with vegetation due to years of neglect. Volunteers cleared the overgrowth and whitewashed the cemetery’s boundary walls.
Speaking to Nagaland Post on Monday, the final day of the drive, Awomi said the initiative was necessitated by the poor condition of the cemetery and the need for regular maintenance. He noted that the cemetery, one of the oldest in the town, had remained neglected for many years, prompting him to take up the task as both a local resident and elected representative. Awomi thanked CTBOWA, HPBWC, well-wishers and volunteers for their support and contribution to the drive, which began on Saturday and was expected to conclude by Monday evening.
According to him, 93 volunteers participated on the first day, while around 70 joined on the second day. He stressed that greater community participation would make such initiatives more effective and sustainable. Appealing to families and the public to take greater responsibility for maintaining the cemetery, Awomi said its upkeep should not depend solely on occasional cleaning drives. He informed that organisers were considering making the exercise a regular activity, possibly once or twice a year, to ensure the cemetery remained clean and well maintained. Established in the early 1970s, the Old Naga Cemetery is reported to have more than 5,000 burials.
Awomi also disclosed that two medical camps and several other community welfare programmes were being planned in the coming months. He clarified that the cleanliness drive was carried out entirely through the efforts of volunteers and well-wishers, without engaging paid labourers.