Dimapur-based civil society organisations resolve to stand by its ultimatum

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Sep. 30 (EMN): The Dimapur District Citizens’ Forum (DDCF) and Dimapur-based civil society organisations have unanimously resolved to stand by their ultimatum, which submitted to the chief minister.

The Dimapur-based civil society organisations had on Wednesday served a five-day ultimatum to cancel the Home department’s Sep. 7 order and all orders/notices with regard to shifting of the DC office and remove the tag “HQ: Chümoukedima; Camp: Dimapur” from the letter head of DC Dimapur.

The house resolved at its meeting held at the Tourist Lodge, Dimapur, on Thursday that it would not accept the request of the Principal Secretary of Home department, Abhijit Sinha, saying that its ultimatum was served to the CM.

Since the five-day ultimatum was addressed to the chief minister, ‘at least his cabinet have to discuss their demand and examine the issues’, the general secretary of Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) told journalists at a press briefing.

It was informed that the request regarding the withdrawal of the ultimatum and the shutter-down call was issued through various media outlets and not an official letter to them.

During the meeting, the house also resolved to form a core committee of all the Dimapur civil societies and frontal organisations; the committee would comprised of two members each from various civil societies based in Dimapur along with five members at large (among senior advisors and legal experts of the organisation) to ‘fight for the cause’.

The DDCF president, Yibemo Kikon, informed at the press briefing that the core committee would be formed by Friday.

He also suggested that if the current Deputy Commissioner building is old and deteriorating, there is another option of a multi-storey building available at the Forest department office in Forest colony.

‘There will be no extra expenditure and it is also located at the centre,’ he stated.

Kikon also informed that if the government does not take their demand seriously within the five days, the core committee would decide the course of action.

It was informed that as many as 20 Dimapur-based civil societies attended the emergency meeting on Thursday.

The Dimapur-based civil societies had called for a total ‘shutter-down’ of commercial activities in Dimapur on September 30 to show resentment over the government’s recent order of shifting branches/cells to the new Deputy Commissioner’s office complex, Chumoukedima.

However, the total shutter-down had a mixed response as normalcy was not affected at Chumoukedima town and Nagarjan area as most of the shops were open.

Meanwhile, the CSOs had expressed appreciation to the business community, well-wishers and the citizens of Dimapur who showed solidarity towards the cause by supporting the 12-hour closure of business activities.