Ahead of Hornbill Festival, Nagaland launches tourist police

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 26 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today launched the Nagaland tourist police at the state police headquarters (PHQ) in Kohima. Nagaland is the 16th state in India, and the second in the Northeast, to have such facility.

The objective of initiating the tourist police force is to ensure security and a friendly environment to visitors, Rio said during the launch.

He said Nagas have had a ‘very bad image’ for a long time, as they were known as headhunters, associated with insurgency. However, he said, with the Naga national groups coming to dialogue with the Centre, the prohibited and protected area tags have been removed. “Today the situation has changed,” he said.

He pointed out that due to the unresolved political issue, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 was still in force in the state which continue to frighten people, locals and non-locals alike.

Rio stated that the police and administration, with the help of paramilitary forces, have in various capacities, ensured that law and order issues of the state were normal. Referring to the recent instance where Nagaland was given recognition by a national survey as the best performing small state in law and order, and the criticism from various political quarters, the chief minister said such criticisms should only encourage the government to do more and improve.

Talking about how the government declared Nagaland as the ‘Land of Festivals’ and the Hornbill Festival came to be known as the ‘festival of festivals’, Rio said the popularity of the latter has prompted the government to encourage the tribal festivals with the ownership taken up by tribe organisations with the government’s support.

The focus given on tribal festivals is to bring change to the image of the Nagas, he asserted, and to make the people understand that peace is better than warfare. Rio said tribal festivals speak about the work culture of the forefathers; sweat and work day and night, and enjoy the harvest—the fruit of your hard work.

“Our hornbill (festival) is gaining popularity and therefore, collectively, not only the tourist police but hoteliers, tourist operators, guides and various association and agencies which give facilities and provide comfort to the tourists all are involved. Every sector has to play their part,” he said.

Rio called upon the tourist police to be ambassadors of the people and treat the tourists as per the local sensitivities.

Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton, who is also the minister in charge of the Home department, stated that Nagaland has many inherent advantages of being a tourist destination: its history, culture, geographical location, weather condition, the rich flora and fauna etc.

“In order to make optimum utilisation of these inherent advantages to generate more economic activity, one area is the policing and security of tourists,” Patton said.

The creation of a specialised tourist police force will not only help in protection of tourist but also enhance the appeal of Nagaland as a favoured tourist destination, he stated.

“The success or failure of a tourist destination depends on being able to provide a safe and secure environment to the visitors. For a progressive destination development in the parlance of tourism, the destination has to have an image of utmost safety and tourist friendliness,” Patton said.

Stating that protecting and serving were two essential qualities for a tourist destination striving to increase popularity, he felt the presence of an efficient tourist police would be an important component of any destination’s image and hoped the newly launched tourist police force would create a good image of Nagaland to the visitors.

Advisor to Tourism department, Khehovi Yepthomi in his brief address highlighted that not only was Nagaland blessed with an extra natural beauty ideal for a tourist destination, but its people, the Nagas were ‘very simple in nature, kind, warm welcoming, good hospitality and peace loving people.’ He expressed if the people could harness and make use of all these potentialities in the right way, the economy of the state would be boosted. He appealed to the new tourist police unit to show ‘extra daring, sincerity and commitment to the visitors, not just during the Hornbill Festival 2018 but beyond it, in terms of long run of Nagaland tourism.’

The inspector general of police (range) Sonia Singh delivered a brief report on the one-month training of the tourist police personnel. She informed that altogether, there were 70 personnel—50 from the 15th IR Mahila Battalion and 20 drawn from the Kohima district executive force.

On the occasion, the chief minister also launched the Nagaland Police mobile FIR application; flagged off the tourist police vehicles; and inaugurated the new Integrated Control Room.