Churches gift prisoners new water supply, sanitary facility

[caption id="attachment_107462" align="aligncenter" width="565"] Nagaland State Brand Ambassador for the SBM, Supongmeren Jamir, seen here with the deputy commissioner of Mokokchung district, Sushil Kumar, and ADC Bendanglila, and pastors of Alempang Baptist Church and Sungkomen Baptist Church, and the superintendent of Mokokchung District Jail, after the inauguration of the newly-constructed sanitary facility at the Mokokchung District Jail on April 4.[/caption]   Mokokchung, April 5 (EMN): The long-felt need for adequate water supply and proper sanitation facilities for inmates of Mokokchung District Jail has been fulfilled. In a joint venture, two churches have offered the facilities– including a wash room and toilet, septic tank and soak pit, a ring well and a water reservoir–under the Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) on April 4. The facility was inaugurated by Supongmeren Jamir, Nagaland State Brand Ambassador of the SBM. The deputy commissioner of Mokokchung district, Sushil Kumar Patel was among those who were present during the inauguration. The construction of the facility was carried out by Alempang Baptist Church and Church and Sungkomen Baptist Church on March 6, 2017 under the voluntary supervision of S. Kati Aier, deacon of Alempang Baptist Church. The amenities were completed at a cost of Rs.3,00,000. The project included construction of a modern wash room and a toilet, septic tank and a soak pit; a ring well and a 2000-litre water reservoir. During a visit to Mokokchung, on November 18 during the previous year, the governor of Nagaland PB Acharya had visited the district jail where the inmates spoke to him the need for a sanitary facility for the jail. The governor had then entrusted the task to the SBM of Mokokchung which then led to the realization of the facility with help of the two churches. Speaking during the programme, Supongmeren Jamir extended the Nagaland governor’s gratitude to the two churches for funding and supervising the construction of the facility. Their noble work is “heaven on earth,” they were told. Jamir encouraged the inmates to “change” and become “valuable assets for the society.” Saying that he was also a jail inmate once and that he knows about their grievances he advised that their time in jail was for life-changing opportunities. He challenged them with a word that their next meeting should not in prison but in a meeting amid stakeholders of the society to do better things for the society. The inmates of the jail have asked the visitors for assistance in maintaining the library in the jail too. The brand ambassador appealed to the Ao Students’ Conference leaders to fulfil the inmates’ needs. He also entrusted the SBM of Mokokchung to help replace the roof of the jail’s chapel hall. The chairman of the SBM of Mokokchung, MB Longkumer, who presided over the programme, appreciated the two churches for jointly undertaking the “mission work.” He said that their nobel work will bring a ‘huge sigh of relief’ to the inmates. Also, the superintendent of the Jail while thanking the two churches and the SBM Mokokchung for their contribution said that it was the “first of its kind in the history of the department in Nagaland.”