The once-cleanest town in Nagaland is now grappling with the dumping of garbage, as even public places are not being spared. In an alarming turn of event, the War Memorial, ‘Veer Smriti Park’ in Mokokchung, has reportedly become a popular ‘drinking spot’, causing concerns in the local community. Aien Amiri, a conscientious resident, expressed one of her experiences where state of the memorial park completely shocked her. She described the place as “filled with waste plastic and litter”.
“Every nook and corner is filled with waste plastic,” lamented Aien Amiri, who, along with a friend, took it upon themselves to clean the entire park today. The issue came to her attention as she visited the park to record a video shout-out for an upcoming show in Sungratsu on 20 December.
Upon entering the park, Amri was confronted with a disheartening sight of bottles, wrappers, and litter scattered throughout the area. The situation had escalated to the point where bottles were reportedly placed among the flowers, trees, and even inside the bushes. Amri, known for her advocacy for environmental causes such as #saynotoplastic and promoting tree planting to combat climate change, felt compelled to take action.
“As a nature lover and someone who stands against climate change, I couldn’t just ignore the situation. How can I sit amidst that dirt and speak in the video?” she asked.
Amri highlighted that this is not an isolated incident, recalling a previous instance where she and her friend undertook a similar cleanup effort. She said the previous time they sought help from the community and the Army where barbed fences were put up to protect the park.
