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KOHIMA — Agri, Forest, and Electrical (Ward No. 17) won the first prize for the 'Best and Cleanest’ Ward at the annual Best and Cleanest Ward Awards organised by Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) on Monday.
It was followed by Midland (Ward No. 9) in second place and Hospital (Ward No. 10) in third. The awards included cash prizes, a running trophy, and certificates for each of the top three wards.
The event was organised by KMC in conjunction with the pre-Christmas celebration at the Capital Convention Centre in Kohima, with Advisor for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs, Zhaleo Rio, as the special guest who also presented the awards.
In his speech, Rio stated that the decision to award the cleanest ward was made at the cabinet level and that the goal was not to compete for the prize but to raise awareness and encourage community involvement in sanitation and environmental stewardship.
He added that, with Kohima being the state capital and Dimapur the commercial hub, it is essential to give awards to encourage people and create awareness.
According to him, Nagaland is not a populated state and does not generate much waste in comparison to other states, so it should not be difficult to manage, but waste management is heavily dependent on citizens. He also noted that waste management is worse in urban areas than in rural areas.
The advisor pointed out that waste collection has improved significantly, but solid and liquid waste management still has a long way to go and called for putting in extra effort and striving to become one of the best cities in the country.
He also stated that many key areas, such as the Secretariat and Assembly Secretariat, are not under KMC jurisdiction. When talking about a clean Kohima, it means every pocket and every corner of Kohima, he said, and added that those areas will soon be included within KMC jurisdiction.
T Lanusenla Longkumer, KMC Administrator, stated on the occasion that they have added the word 'best' to the 'cleanest' ward award this year because it is not just the cleanest but the award is given after assessing various criteria and mentioned that this is a yearlong assessment by the area in-charge and after the assessment, they bring out a final report and come to a conclusion.
Aside from that, they included a special category in which they recognise special contributions from various colonies (that perform better than the rest), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and self-help groups (SHGs).
She said that this is to encourage everyone to work towards a more livable, healthier, and cleaner Kohima and that it is everyone’s responsibility as residents and citizens to keep the town clean.
Pelenuo, the founder of Züb Züb India, stated that they were able to reach out to 5,800 households out of 23,000 in Kohima, raising awareness about waste management and waste segregation.
Neilhouphrelie, Assistant Chief Inspector of KMC, stated that they used a variety of criteria to determine the best and cleanest ward. These included general cleanliness, drainage cleanliness, social work, sanitation fees, cleaning and maintaining sanitation vehicles, meeting attendance, innovative ideas, government projects, and festive decorations.
The Cleanest Shop Award 2023 went to TT Stationeries, Bayavü (first), Storage Hardware, Pezielietsie (second), and Sushil Pan Shop, Phoolbari (third).
Also read: CM Rio urges youth to embrace meritocracy