If Nagas were to emerge as a developed society, the Church needs to change the mind-set of the people, Nagaland chief minister T.R. Zeliang said on Friday evening, a communiqué issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) media cell stated.
Interacting with members of the Nagaland Baptist Churches Council’s (NBCC) Sanitation Committee at his residential office, Zeliang opined that the Church being the most influential platform in the Naga society, should educate the people to cooperate with the government in matters of progress and prosperity for all.
The NBCC sanitation committee members briefed Zeliang on the works being carried out over the years in keeping the city clean and green.
Taking note of the lack of civic sense on the part of shopkeepers and builders alike who tend to throw their garbage and building materials on the roads blocking traffic and drains, Zeliang said: “The Church can be a good platform to educate the people on civic sense and responsibilities,” he said
He also suggested the Church to conduct workshops on sanitation and also to create public awareness. “During monsoon we see pipelines completely blocking the drains and preventing proper drainage system which turn our roads into open sewers,” he said.
On the proposed ‘Smart City’ plan for Kohima, Zeliang said in order to make it to the first 20 list, which would be on a trial basis, the Government had been working overtime on a war footing to prepare the concept notes and improvement of the city.
“We have to go for reconstruction of the existing city since we cannot expect to widen the roads. We have to make the best with the possible means at our disposal and the cooperation of the city dwellers is a must,” he said.
The vision is to have modern conveniences such as proper roads, parking spaces, drainages and proper waste disposal.
“We need to also have crime detection facilities and to this end, we are in the process of installing CCTVs on an experimental basis in Kohima and Dimapur. The DGP is on the job and it is being proposed that some 200 CCTVs to be installed in Kohima town. In this regard too, we need the cooperation of the building owners to install the cameras at strategic locations,” he added.
Deliberating on the issue where some volunteers had stopped the Border Roads Organization (BRO) workers in carrying out repairs of potholes in Kohima town, the CMO media cell stated that the committee members expressed unhappiness while the chief minister opined that the volunteers should have checked whether BRO had sanction/ work orders issued to carry out the works.
The chief minister maintained that the Border Roads Organization had no sanctions/funds to carry out the works. However, on the request of the state government, the chief minister said that the BRO officials had agreed to carry out the much-needed filling of the potholes in the city.
“If and when there is sanction/work orders, there will be criteria to be fulfilled by the implementing agencies and then and only it can be verified if required workmanship is being carried out or not,” the chief minister added.
It maybe mentioned that the state government on Wednesday earmarked an amount of Rs. 8.45 crore, from the non-plan, to carry out the road repair works in an around Kohima town.