Nagaland minister Imna Along calls for clean initiative at Kisama and Kohima

KISAMA — Minister of Higher Education and Tourism, Temjen Imna Along, on Wednesday, appealed to all the colleges and schools in Kohima to come forward and initiate cleanliness drive every alternate month at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, and the capital city, Kohima.

He stated this while speaking at the ‘KAM-cleanliness drive’ held at the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, initiated by the department of Tourism in collaboration with educational institutions.

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Along has termed the occasion as ‘red letter day’ stating that it is time for the people to take responsibility for the state.

“When we want people to come to Nagaland and we want people to see the way we love our tradition, our culture and our land, I appeal to all people of the state to be careful to keep the villages and towns clean,” Along said.

Expressing delight to see the participation of students in their endeavor to keep the Naga Heritage Village clean and lovely for the visitors, he appealed to the people not to do the cleaning for the sake of doing or for selfie or social media post but meant it from the heart. He further called upon the people of the state to keep in mind of a clean initiative wherever they are.

Dr. Keneilhoulie Medom, managing director of KOHIMAS and initiator of the KAM-cleanliness drive, shared that as the owner of Medom’s BNB he had come across many tourists during the Hornbill Festival from December 1-10. He felt that Kisama, being one such tourist attraction and a model village representing all the tribes, it is important to provide a clean surrounding to the visitors.

As the venue lack proper sanitation, he informed that the clean drive was initiated. He also expressed gratitude to all those who have come forward for the cleanliness drive.

According to Dr. Medom, tourism is the window for the world to see, feel and taste the beauty, diverse culture and tradition, unique food habits of Nagaland. He added that it would create curiosity and draw visitors to learn and explore about the mystical ways of the Nagas.

He maintained that tourism should not be limited to just a 10-day Hornbill Festival but a year-long endeavours for tourists to explore the culture and tradition of the Nagas. He exuded hope that the cleanliness drive would create a chain reaction of many initiatives in the future. In this regard, he challenged the participants to make personal commitment to be more selfless even in the days to come.