[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he festive season is here. However, it appears that the mood is going to be a gloomy one. The financial crunch the State is facing at the moment has been the reason that is going to give a hiccup to the festivities. For days now some sections of teachers are agitating demanding the release of their six months pending salaries. The government is said to have been persuading the ‘aggrieved’ teachers grounding on the poor financial health of the State. But the ‘aggrieved’ teachers refused to buy this reason given by the State government. Today, it is not only the Hindi teachers who are suffering. The people of Nagaland are ‘aggrieved’ indeed for so many reasons. But the immediate cause has been the financial crisis of the State government.The prevailing situation is bound to affect the forthcoming Hornbill Festival and the Christmas celebrations. The buying capacity of the people is very weak. We had carried a news item in this regard few days ago that the otherwise brisk business of butchers in Dimapur and Kohima is quite disappointing this time. The same sentiment has been echoed by other business people in the State. Altogether this is one usual situation for every State where dependency on the Centre is the case. The State of Nagaland is not an exception to this situation where its economy is the Central government’s mercy.
Meanwhile, if New Delhi fails to bail out the State from the present dismal financial situation before the peak festive season crime rate will sky-rocket. The situation will drive many to commit unlawful activities such as looting of passengers in the highways, extortion and stealing. Maximum criminal cases are usually recorded during the Christmas season as cases of looting and extortion or forced donation become rampant. The needs of the people are higher during the winter or the Christmas season. This column has cautioned the administration earlier to roll up its sleeves and start taking suitable measures.
