EMN
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 7
Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang today issued a clarion call to the citizens of Kohima town for cooperation so that Kohima can be adopted as one of the experimental Smart Cities by the Government of India.
The citizens have as much a role to play, if not greater, as the Government to ensure that the Government of India selects Kohima as one of the Smart Cities in the first phase, he said.
It may be mentioned that the Government of India has decided to select 20 cities throughout the Country for the futuristic program of Smart City initiative.
Appreciating the decision of Kohima Village Council to extend full cooperation to the Government to develop the capital city, the Chief Minister said, “People should come forward with such positive attitude.”
“The Government alone cannot bring all-round development without the whole-hearted support and cooperation of the public,” he said. He was interacting with a group of Government officials early this morning at his residence in Dimapur.
“We have plans to install about 200 closed-circuit televisions in Kohima and about 300 CCTVs in Dimapur. The DGP is working on the proposal and we hope to see through the plan very soon. We hope to be one step ahead of criminals and with the installation of these CCTVs in strategic locations we can not only track and locate known criminals, we hopefully can even prevent crimes from taking place. In this regard too, building owners must cooperate with law enforcing agencies while the CCTVs are being installed. They should not object to the installations since it will be in the interest of ever one,” he said.
The Chief Minister also disclosed that his Government is alive to the infernal problem of traffic jams in the capital town and that he is seriously viewing alternatives to ease the problem.
“I have met the Ambassador of France earlier this year in June at New Delhi and he has been kind enough to depute his assistant Jean René Cougard and his team to Nagaland the other day. We have discussed with the French delegation possibilities of setting up Ropeways in Kohima.
Modalities are being worked out and if this plan can see the light of day, we hope to begin from Ministers’ Hill to PHQ and then on to Old Secretariat area to Bayavu, to High School Junction and then on to New Secretariat. Once implemented I am confident many will chose this mode of travel to reach the offices and therebvy ease the traffic congestion. This will not only help commuters but will also lend aesthetic beauty to the Capital city,” he said.
He revealed that though no concrete agreement has been arrived at as of now, the French delegation has agreed in principle to take up the matter if the proposal is found to be viable.
It may be mentioned that the department of Municipal Affairs is currently working on this project at the cost of more than Rs 400 crore. And as far the French Government is concerned the quantum of funds required does not seem to be a problem but what they wanted to know was the feasibility of the proposal.
