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Dimapur, Jan. 17 (EMN): The governor of Nagaland, RN Ravi on Friday said the people of Nagaland would not be marginalised or discriminated, but deemed as first class citizens of the country, and that he was monitoring all the road projects in the state.
Ravi was speaking at the Mimkut mini-Hornbill Festival of the Kuki tribe at Molvom village under Medziphema sub-division, on January 17. The festival, which started on Thursday, will conclude today, on Saturday.
“A country like India cannot grow if small communities feel marginalised,” said Ravi while taking the example of the Kuki tribe. He hailed the Kukis as equal partners and stakeholders in all that happens in Nagaland.
“Kukis have a significant position in Nagaland and it doesn’t matter if the community is large or small,” asserted Ravi while maintaining that the state of Nagaland is rich because of the Kukis as well.
Speaking on the ongoing construction of several roads in Nagaland, Ravi assured that it is one of his priorities to monitor various road projects especially those financed by the central government.
“There are 14 roads being built by NHIDCL and also four roads by NEC (North Eastern Council). I am monitoring all that but I also want to be closely associated with local interior roads,” said Ravi.
“Road network is like the circulating blood system of the body and linking the villages to the highway is a top priority,” said Ravi, urging the villages to come forward and get central assistance for linking the roads.
Further, Ravi encouraged the people to be free from corruption and free from 'fear of guns'. “Together we will build a new Nagaland; a Nagaland proud of its roads, people, heritage and future," he concluded.
Highlighting the background of the Kukis, the president of Kuki INPI Nagaland (KIN), LL Kuki, said that the tribe took active part in the political struggle right from the beginning.
“There are around 40,000 Kukis spread across Dimapur, Peren and Kohima and we do not have any state assembly members for more than three decades,” he informed the governor and requested him to pave the way for a “marginalised community” like the Kukis.