Citizens told to develop and ‘share potential’ of respective areas

Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, MARCH 4

Minister for School Education & SCERT, Yitachu Pfitu, has called upon the Naga people to focus on ‘developing the potentials of their own areas and share with their compatriots so as to achieve the general aspiration.’
The minister said this while speaking at the inaugural function of the 5th cultural festival of Phokhungri Area Cultural Society (PACS) comprising 11 villages. The villages are Zhipu village, Mokie village, Washelo village, old Thewati village, new Thewati village, Lütsam village, Phokhungri village, Phokhungri town, Avakhung village, Laruri village, and Sütsü village.
The event was held on February 3 at Shilloi Lake, in Lütsam under Meluri sub-division of Phek district.
The politician stressed on the need for the people of the area to ‘develop their potential and share them with other Nagas and vice versa, which he felt would ‘result in unity of the Nagas in general.’ He said that the areas of the Pochury community were endowed with the potential for power generation and ‘also for an industrially progressive zones.’
The politician exhorted the people of the sub-division to extend support and cooperation to the government in the quest to generate hydro electric power, which he said can meet the power requirement of the state of Nagaland. This, he observed, will not only help revenue-generation leading to the economic uplift of the area bordering with Myanmar, but in turn can also impact agriculture production from ‘other potential areas.’
The minister also expressed concern that the people of area have resolved not to sell their land to outsiders. Pfitu pointed out that even if land were available, without investors coming from outside no proper development can take shape with the available resources of the local people.
He, therefore, said that people should be willing to give land so that investors can come and invest for industrialization and other developmental activities, including rural tourism. The politician asked the villagers to ponder whether it would be better to remain landlocked or share their potential with others and be progressive.
As an elected representative of the area, the minister said that the biggest concern for him that remains to be achieved is road connectivity with Myanmar. Connectivity will help promote trade and commerce, culture and tourism with other south-east Asian countries and will also promote technological exchanges with Myanmar, the politician claimed.
Meanwhile, the minister assured that the government of Nagaland would ‘construct permanent structures’ in the newly-developed ground at Shilloi Lake with the objective of converting it into an “international cultural hub.” Once the ongoing road connection between Nagaland and Myanmar opens, the route will become the country’s gateway to the south-east Asian countries, he asserted.
While calling cultural activities to be ‘an expensive affair,’ Minister Pfitu nonetheless maintained that cultural festivals ‘must continue so that the people do not lose their identities.’ He encouraged the PACS to continue with a fixed schedule annually to hold cultural events and also approach the Tourism department for inclusion in the annual tourism calendar.
This will enhance the prospect of a community’s festival receiving promotion and also attracting the inflow of tourists to Phokhungri area, Pfitu asserted. He also asked the PACS to invite other communities across the border to this festival in the coming years.
Pochury Hoho’s president Penthü Pochury said in his address during the event that the people and communities must unite ‘in God and take their cultural activities forward.’ He also urged the people to maintain unity and peaceful coexistence.