A district in decay

The decay of Mokokchung district may have begun about a decade ago but it was only when we became a district with no medical, education, sports, agriculture, or information technology infrastructure in 60 years of statehood that we realized we had decayed.

Today, any regular person in Mokokchung will say, “Mokokchung is a poor place,” and no one refutes it. Businesses are struggling to grow in this town, with the exception of a few.

Ordinary citizens say that Mokokchung is poor because “well to do families leave Mokokchung and settle in Dimapur or Kohima.” Likewise, most parents today would pack their children up and send them to Kohima or Dimapur and even farther to pursue their higher education.

There is nothing wrong with yearning to relocate to another town or city. But how many people from other districts are relocating to Mokokchung?

A family with children in higher education in various districts will pay thousands of rupees per month for their child’s tuition, hostel fees, mess fees, and other expenses. In case we didn’t notice, the money from Mokokchung is being spent in a different district in huge amounts. There is nothing wrong with spending money in another district, but is someone from there also spending the same in Mokokchung?

Hordes of people migrate from Mokokchung to Dimapur and Kohima every year and, as a result, the citizens of Mokokchung end up contributing significantly to the economies of those two districts. Who, though, is spending money in Mokokchung? If all Mokokchung does is spend but receives nothing in return, it is safe to conclude that Mokokchung is operating at a loss and, therefore, an urgent need for economic development in the district arises.

Economic development is the creation of wealth from which community benefits are realized. It is more than a jobs program; it’s an investment in growing the economy and enhancing the prosperity and quality of life for all residents. When has Mokokchung last seen economic development and who is responsible for it?

State government, local governments, economists, chambers of commerce, technology or business incubators, regional development agencies, colleges, universities and research institutions etc., are all responsible for economic development. But is anyone paying attention?

Time has come for citizens to demand policies that will positively affect their economic activities. Days are gone when adequate roads, village gates, retaining walls and drainage systems were considered as development. Proper roads are fundamental rights, and it is the government’s responsibility to provide us with basic necessities such as roads, water, and a proper drainage system.

The primary responsibility of the government is to ensure that revenue is created through its policies which involve infrastructure development, such as hospitals, medical colleges, engineering colleges, art and cultural institutes, and research institutes, among other things. They must undertake policies to meet broad economic objectives such as price stability, high employment, and sustainable growth. And when a government fails to deliver that, it is the responsibility of the electorates to demand such measures to the government which their MLAs must be responsible to ensure their voices are heard in the State Assembly.