The much-anticipated ‘Mini Secretariat’ has been renamed ‘District Office Complex,’ a change that Advisor of Water Resources, Tongpang Ozukum described as more “appropriate and benefitting.”
“Since the building is solely to accommodate the district offices, it was inappropriate to call it the Mini Secretariat, so the nomenclature has changed to District Office Complex,” the Advisor explained when queried by MT about the reason behind the change and the decision to move away from the ‘Mini Secretariat’ concept.
When asked if there was a difference between the Mini Secretariat and the District Office Complex, the Advisor said, “The purpose of the District Office Complex (DOC) is to accommodate district departmental offices that are either on rent or on lease.”
In response to whether the establishment of the District Office Complex will reduce the over-dependence of district departments on the directorates in Kohima, the Advisor stated that the construction of the DOC “does not affect the powers and functions of the district offices.”
For Mokokchung, the site for the DOC is located at Wazakolu, about 3 to 4 minutes from NH-2 on the Yimchalu road. When asked about the status of the construction, the Advisor mentioned that it would be better appraised by the NPWD (Housing), Mokokchung District.
It should be noted that the concept of the Mokokchung Mini Secretariat first emerged on April 14, 2022, when a dedicatory prayer service was held at Wazakolu, announcing it as the site for the proposed construction of the Mokokchung district “Mini Secretariat.”
However, in September 2022, during the NLA session, MLA Imkong L Imchen questioned the nomenclature of the Mini Secretariat Complex. In response, MLA Tongpang Ozukum informed that the Department was considering renaming the Mini Secretariat Complex.
Following this, CM Rio suggested renaming the complex as “DC Office Complex” and explained that the original concept of the ‘Mini Secretariat’ was to improve the attendance of district government officials and enhance security coordination. “The concept of the Mini Secretariat was to bring all the departments together instead of having them function as separate entities,” Rio said.