Nagaland: Rio mediates meeting with Jotsoma villagers

 Our Correspondent

Kohima, Feb. 1 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday held a meeting with the Public Health Engi­neering and School Educa­tion departments and Jot­soma village representatives regarding the grievances of Jotsoma village related to non-fulfilment of the 1976 agreement and the under­standing reached at several previous occasions.

The Jotsoma Youth Or­ganisation (JYO) in a recent press statement had threat­ened to cut off the water supply from Dzüna and Kelorü to Kohima town for the failure of state govern­ment to fulfil its long pend­ing commitment.

During the meeting, the representatives from Jot­soma raised the issue to the government that 18 people should be given employ­ment as per the agreement and 13 persons currently employed from the vil­lage should not be counted against the agreement.

According to the meet­ing minutes issued by J Alam, the villagers had asked that the school should be renovated /expanded by providing infrastructure while a full sized play ground should be constructed with supply of treated water.

After detailed delibera­tions, it was decided that government would move for “post creation of 12 grade-4 posts and provide 12 regu­lar jobs to the village. Also, a revenue sharing arrange­ment with the department would be worked out, with respect to water tax. Or if desired by the village, as per the old agreement, 18 posts of work-charged employees would be provided.”

It stated that since the two schools, GHS and GHSS, had already been up­graded and the W/O for GHS Jotsoma had already been issued, the hostel would be constructed in the works programme of 2020-21.

Regarding the construc­tion of a playground in the village, the chief minister informed the village au­thorities to earmark a suit­able location and execute the project by the villagers themselves.

“He further added that government would provide an amount of one crore for the project, even before for­malities are finalised, out of which INR 25 lakh would be provided immediately, so that work could begin at the earliest,” read the meeting minutes.

Accordingly, the PHE department was directed to provide treated water sup­ply to the village and ensure quality control in the con­struction of works.

Meanwhile, the chief minister suggested that a fresh agreement could be formulated reflecting the “changed contemporary, environment” as it has been over 45 years since the agreement was signed while the “offer of the gov­ernment” maybe deliber­ated at the village level and the government informed as and when a decision is ar­rived at.