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DIMAPUR — Vandalism has become a daily occurrence in Dimapur, affecting various locations including beautification projects initiated by the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and Team Better Dimapur, along with other public amenities.
These incidences highlight the urgent need for more effective measures to address the destructive acts that pose a serious threat to public property and the city’s overall well-being.
In some areas, there have been past reports of vandalism targeting “fabricated steel balls” used to mark boundaries and decorative purposes.
Local authorities invest significant funds in beautifying the city and maintaining public amenities. However, these efforts often face setbacks as the beautification works, carried out to enhance the city’s aesthetics, are vandalised before they are even opened to the public.
Mhonjan Humtsoe, a core member of Team Better Dimapur, outlined various causes of damage to beautification efforts, including reckless driving, individuals spitting on dividers after chewing tobacco, littering from moving cars, and even the dismantling of property for scrap by rag pickers or drug users.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]While the DMC and Team Better Dimapur have collaborated to undertake numerous beautification projects, such as converting unauthorised dumping sites into visually appealing spaces and taking up plantation and cleanliness drives around the city, their efforts have been consistently undermined by destructive acts.
Some of the noteworthy projects include pathways at Burma Camp police point and opposite Hotel Senti, conversion of Garbage Vulnerable Point (GVP) into a waiting shed near DDSC stadium gate, road divider painting and plantation from Tragopan Hotel till MH hospital junction, Ramakrishna seating area in Duncan Basti, flyover roof painting, and several others.
Most of these projects are funded by the DMC, district administrators and well-wishers, and are conceptualised and supervised by Team Better Dimapur, but the neglectful, unappreciative and unconcerned attitudes of the people are hampering their efforts, taking into account that maintenance and repair works are not easy.
To discourage and avoid destruction of the work and property, Humtsoe recommended weekly inspection and maintenance of beautified areas by the DMC, emphasising that the current efforts by Team Better Dimapur on Saturdays are insufficient.
He said that this “must be backed by stringent rules with strong enforcement while ensuring installation of CCTV around the city,” to ensure the protection of the work done by the team as well as other public and private property.
“Given the challenges authorities face in apprehending vandals in the act, the public can play a role in addressing the issue by making a citizen’s arrest when they catch individuals in the act of defacing public property,” he said, adding that civic sense and responsibility should be practised and not remain topics of discussion.
Despite the incidents, Humtsoe affirmed that the team has come a long way and would not let such incidents dishearten their mission. He said that they would continue to carry out their work and create awareness even if miscreants try to foil their efforts.
Another core member of the team, Achano Tungoe, a photographer by profession, who has been documenting the works and progress of the team for the last six years, expressed sadness at the ‘audacity’ of people to destroy or pollute the city after beautification efforts.
Stating that it is high time for the public to accept the need for individual commitment to a collective effort, Tungoe urged public participation in keeping the city clean and healthy, emphasising that cleanliness is a practice, not just a project.
“If you are lazy in cleaning don’t make the place dirty. Cleaning and organising is a practice, not a project that Team Better Dimapur does. Our team’s vision is to educate the public not to litter or destroy the public property,” she said.
As the vandalising and destruction is continuing, Tungoe said the police department can play an active role by patrolling and enforcing orders at beautified locations. She suggested that CCTV cameras could have a significant impact in deterring vandals. Additionally, she pointed out that the issue of vandalism is not unique to Dimapur but is a concern in towns throughout the state.
Tungoe recommended addressing vandalism through school education but emphasised that education alone is not sufficient. She highlighted the importance of social responsibility and civic consciousness in every human action