Landowners shut down District Youth Resources and Sports Office in Mokokchung indefinitely

The District Youth Resources and Sports (DYRS) Office in Mokokchung has been shut down indefinitely by landowners from Ungma village as of today, 5 November, in protest of the recent appointment of a non-landowner to a Grade IV position within the office. According to the landowners, this appointment violates an agreement with the government dating back to 1993.

The landowners sent multiple letters and complaints to the Youth Resources and Sports (YRS) Department, requesting that the appointment of a non-landowner as a MTS/Night Chowkidar be revoked. The position, previously held by a landowner, became vacant following the passing of Noksang Jamir, the former Night Chowkidar.

“We are shutting down the District Youth Resources and Sports Office in Mokokchung from today,” said Kilep Jamir, representing the landowners. Jamir explained, “When the government asked for this land, we had an agreement in 1993. It was agreed that all contract work and Grade IV posts would be given to landowners. In fact, it was also agreed that other posts, such as Grade III and II, would also be preferentially given to the landowners if suitable candidates were available.”

Clause 4 of the 1993 agreement states, “All Grade-IV posts in all the concerned departments located within my land shall be offered to the landowner. (If required, interviews will be conducted only among the landowners).” Meanwhile, Clause 5 of the agreement states, “First preference shall be given to the landowners in other categories of post wherever deem fit”.

“This time, there was a vacancy after the expiry of one of us. Therefore, we applied for the job. However, the government appointed someone who is not a landowner, and the appointment was also made through a backdoor channel rather than a proper recruitment process.”

“This is why we filed a complaint letter on 19 August 2024,” Jamir continued. “However, the government ignored it and appointed the non-landowner. After that, we submitted a formal representation asking the government to revoke the appointment order on 19 September 2024, but the government still ignored our request. So, on 14 October 2024, we issued a 20-day ultimatum, which expired yesterday (4 November). Therefore, we have decided to shut down the office from today.”

Jamir further stated that the shutdown would continue indefinitely. “If we do not receive a positive response in the coming days, we will consider shutting down the ‘entire sports complex and its area’, as per the terms outlined in the 1993 agreement,” he said.

DYRS officials told MT that they are currently attending a training session in Kohima. They are expected to return to Mokokchung on Wednesday, 6 November, to address the issue with the Deputy Commissioner. When asked for a comment, an official declined to comment, stating that they would prefer to respond following a formal discussion.

MT