Matters of public concern and importance !

Ruovihulie Angami, Rtd. Joint Director of School Education, Nagaland [dropcap]K[/dropcap]eeping in view of my last articles on public concern in the local dailies for the last 2-3 months in 2014, it is an opportune time for me to continue to write such matters while many of our people maintain the attitude of “let it be” in our living style of public domain. I also request the like-minded people to join with me in fighting against the social evils and the narrow fanatics, prevailing in our society to make our land a better place to live in. This time also I am bringing out such few events/areas of public concern/importance for public consumption:- 1) While mourning the deaths of the three aged persons who met a tragic deads on the eve of Christmas while they were on their happy and excited mood at the Christmas carol on the 24th December, 2014 and another three teenage charming students met a tragic dead in the frozen lake at the Western Dzükou Sanctuary falls on the 26th December, 2014 which had caused panic to all of us in this Christmas-New Year season, 2014. Anyway, gone is gone and we cannot bring them back to life except to give our moral/prayer support to the bereaved family members to bear the brunt/situation with solace and to take their good example of those during their life-time. But, then what to do for future to prevent such occurrences, is very important and here I would like to propose my few raw suggestions to all concerned.2) As for vehicle accident causing dead to the pedestrians/carol procession on the Christmas Eve, henceforth no such procession/rallies should take place without traffic police control and no officer/VIP/VVIP/vehicle-owner should not have used habitual drunkard driver since it has proved that the accused driver Shri Meeng might not drink only that particular night which led to defamation of his vehicle owner and a lost to three immortal souls. 3) As the saying goes, “prevention is better than cure”, why not the concerned departments – Tourist Department, National or Nagaland Disaster Management Department, the District Administration, the NGOs/the neighbouring villages of Dzükou valley or Sanctuary waterfalls have not been put up any public awareness/tips long before lest more lives have been lost or many may be losing because of lack of public awareness and over-excitement of the trackers. Thanks to Mr Zakie Khate a student activist of Khonoma village for sharing his life-experiences at the Sanctuary Waterfall and its lake and also the advises given by Shri Jonny R, OSD of NSDM for safety measures to the would be trackers and also thanks to the first hand publication of such tips under the caption, “WE SHOULD BE PREPARED” by the Morung Express dated the 31st December, 2014. 4) Teen-agers disobedience to parents’ advices, is another problem these days which also leads to disorder and family problems. While we don’t totally blame those teen-age trio who met a tragic dead at the Sanctuary Falls on the 26th December, 2014 but at the same time such unfortunate incident would not have happened if they took heed of their parental advises or approval to go there without having much experiences or maturity to avoid such accidents. Let us take it as a lesson that parents should give the right counsel or right direction in every activity of their children and also children should take heed of such advises to live long or get blessing as the Bible commanded how difficult to follow in their life styles. These two incidents remind me of my colleague when I took my School team (Government High School, Sechü-Zubza on study tour to Shillong-Cherrapunji in May, 2005 where little imbalance in standing on a cemented post while taking photographs at Kala Pathor (Cherrapunji) waterfalls would have led to no return attempt if he didn’t listen to me or got down from that standing post. Most of the accidents take place because of our lack of advises or people who don’t take heed of such advices. 5) We know the armed forces have both war-time and peace-time contribution to the nation and society. Even in Nagaland, the Para-military forces like IRB/NAP also can give manifold contributions on public importance in times of need like vehicle accidents, floods/landslides/fire hazards/sanitation/price control/public disorders under the command of their concerned authority (s) but not to work under the domestic affairs of some of their commanders’ farmings or private building constructions etc. as has been observed all these years. 6) We talk about over-staff of the State Government by politicians/bureaucrats/ CANSSEA/UEEN and other NGOs without knowing how far our Government has been enforcing office discipline/sincerity of its employees at various levels. This can be seen if we go to the working Saturdays or weekends especially a week ahead of Christmas or after the New Year holiday. Now, one of the most efficient Chief Secretaries will take over the office w.e.f. 1st January 2015 and let us see office discipline starting from his Nagaland Civil Secretariat down to the District/Sub-division/village levels establishments and how far the public servants (office goers will obey their concerned authority (s) or conscience by giving their best services to their superiors and the public who are in need of their service in the days to come. Declaring 25th December, 2014 as working day is not good in a secular country but at the same time declaring one particular day as a good governance day to enforce the spirit of good governance because it is a must for every office-goer and their government functionaries to deliver the goods of good governance as their daily bound duties. 7) Above the duties and assignments for every profession, there are also moral ethics for every profession as professional ethics which we all have to follow failing which there can be no success in our duties as expected by others who are in need of our helps. Professions such as politicians, businessmen, doctors and nurses as health-workers, teachers, engineers, lawyers, scientists, farmers, social workers, journalists, bureaucrats or Government servants, public leaders, astronauts, economists, church workers etc. have its own ethics/ guidelines/tips to follow. In the event of a failure to follow their own ethics, the recipients on the other side shall face the consequences being caused by the givers. As for me as a school teacher for 23 years and dealing with the teachers for another 12 years as a school administrator, I have been insisting professional code of ethics to be followed by every teacher whether trained or untrained to follow so that all our training will become wasted in the implementation part. So also people in other professions are not keeping up their ethics, there are others who are ready to interfere into their business where they are failing to do the right things for which the formers should not feel bad or take it otherwise. 8) I really appreciate the write-ups of Selie Visa, Benito Z. Swu, J. Ambross Thakre, Vishü Rita, Vekupa Rhakho George etc. even without knowing their background but it seems these writers although imperfect like many others, have real concern for our generation/people all these days to improve us all. Also the recent article written by Shri Thepfulhouvi Solo, IFS (Rtd.) suggesting the right season to burn our tree-plantation fields during January-February but not April-May which is the right and timely advice (positive) because he is an expert in forest matters but not expert in every field as we see his critical comments after every event with both negative and positive comments. I further request him to write more about the conservation of our forests and afforestation for ecological balance as he is one of the Naga forest experts for his rich experiences in this field which can help our people more than in many other fields as he interferes in his write-ups in local papers. For me as a one-time school teacher would like to suggest to the District Administration, Forest Department, Land Resources Department, the Village authorities and the NGOs to take precautionary measures to save our forests from burning before any part of our forest is burnt in 2015 but not after every part of our forest have been burnt . 9) In the column of the Eastern Mirror, the 31st December, 2014 on page 2 under the caption “Nagaland: the year that was” should include one unfortunate event which took place in September that the CANSSEA claimed that it had taken a decision on the 19th September, 2014 to support the 2009 Retirement Act which was a total lie or misleading statement for which the NGSEF had filed an RTI case against it (CANSSEA) either to apologise or withdraw its misleading statement or resign gracefully or to be impeached by all employees of the Nagaland Government employees failing which the case shall go to the court of Chief Information Commissioner, Nagaland for 30 days had expired on the 20th December 2014 since the RTI case was filed on the 20th November, 2014. The NGSEF is on the job that by any means, the Cabinet shall decide to review and amend the 2009 Retirement Act in order to save the State ex-chequer. Let us prayerfully receive the New Year, 2015 with all good expectations of prosperity, peace free from all tragic accidents/incidents which may lead to shedding of sorrowful tears.