Kohima, June 28 (MTNews): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio said people should make cleanliness a habit so that we can live in a clean and healthy society. He said the initiative to create awareness on cleanliness and make Nagaland a garbage-free state should not be a one-time movement but a way of life.
Rio said this while speaking as the special guest at the state level awards ceremony for Cleanest Urban Local Bodies and Wards Award 2022 Nagaland organized by the Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs at Capital Convention Center, Kohima on Tuesday.
Stating that there is no proper town planning in the state, Rio said the government faces a lot of problems to maintain even the basic amenities such as roads, street lights, water supply or waste management. He said communities are realizing the importance of keeping their town clean and termed it as a positive development.
The Chief Minister asserted that awareness on cleanliness should begin from a young age and advised the School Education Department to focus on imparting civic sense to the children. He further asked the state Rural Development Department to take the initiative as it is involved with the people from the grassroots level.
Pointing out that Nagas are an “educated society, but not a refined society,” Rio called on the people to put in a combined effort to “make a change and take our cities and towns towards a status of most livable place.” On the occasion, the Chief Minister also released the Assessment Report and presented awards to the winners.
The department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs presented awards to the Cleanest Urban Local Bodies and Wards across Nagaland at a state level function at Kohima today. The ULBs were divided into three categories and awards were presented according to the assessment of the ULBs in each category.
The first category included the ULBs with a waste management system in place, the second included the ULBs putting a waste management system in place and the third category included the ULBs aiming to introduce a waste system.
In the first category, the award was bagged by Chumoukedima Town Council and Dimapur Municipal Council. Both winners received a cash prize of 1.50 lakh rupees and certificates.
Pfutsero Town Council, Phek Town Council and Tuli Town Council got the first, second and third prizes respectively in the second category.
Aboi Town Council took the first prize in the third category, while Chiephobozou Town Council got the second prize and Mangkolemba Town Council bagged the third prize. The winners in these categories also received cash prizes and certificates.
In the special category awards, Best Performers in terms of effort went to Tuensang Town Council and Aghunato Town Council; ULBs with Best Innovative Solutions was awarded to Pfutsero, Aboi, Chumoukedima and Phek Town Councils; while ULBs with Best Community Mobilization was bagged by Tuli Town Council, Dimapur Municipal Council and Atoizu Town Council.
Meanwhile, the ULB Ward Level category was also conducted in all the 39 ULBs across Nagaland. Under Mokokchung Municipal Council, Aongza ward was declared the winner while Yimyu was declared the runner-up.