Nagaland's commercial hub - Dimapur struggling to keep clean

The commercial hub and the main trade centre of Nagaland , Dimapur has been struggling to keep clean due to a lack of awareness among its citizens. 

Dimapur has seen a lot of development with the building of newer better roads, buildings and other infrastructures in recent years.  However, some of the buildings, roads, bridges, marketing sheds etc which have been built recently are starting to corrode with untidy looks since the people aren't willing to be responsible.

The thought of government build infrastructures are free gifts and isn't my responsibility still seems to resonate among most of them. Of course, there are people who care for the surroundings and wish to keep Dimapur city clean not just by words but through their deeds and actions. But they make up just a fraction of the majority.

Recently, some organizations decided to paint and draw a certain section of walls with portraits and landscapes of beautiful sceneries and public figures. Two months after it was revered by pedestrians and other locals, one can easily see the stain of red tobacco spits smothered all over the walls.

"It seems the artist's brush and paint weren't enough that they feel the need to beautify it with their spits", said Obekawho is a shop owner with his store just adjacent to the painted walls. Along with this, garbage thrown by pedestrians, houses and shop owners virtually everywhere has emerged as the biggest hurdle in keeping the commercial hub of the state clean.

Recently, some organizations decided to paint and draw a certain section of walls with portraits and landscapes of beautiful sceneries and public figures

Dimapur Municipal Council administrator Albert Ezung said, "Behavioural wastes were largely avoidable, provided an efficient reuse collection service was in operation and litter bins were provided for use of pedestrians. But for this to happen, public awareness was required".

He also mentioned that more than 140 cleaners were covering more than 90 colonies under the Municipal council as well as market areas to keep the city clean. For cleaning of drains, Ezung claimed that DMC has tied up with colony authorities to sensitise check and impose fines to those found littering the drains.

Yet, the people still continue to litter he lamented. He pointed out that the cleaners who collected garbage from the colonies have been assigned to clean the drains as well.

"The sludge that excavators (JCB) to make enough room for the water to flow", he added. He remarked that undeterred use of polythene bags by residents and shopkeepers alike which later found their way to drains, blocking them, affected the council's effort to keep the city clean.

Mentioning that generation of waste was a continuous process as waste was produced each day, Ezung claimed that DMC strives to cope with it through collection, transportation and disposal daily.

Therefore, it is high time for the citizens of Dimapur to grow a conscience of self-awareness and cleanliness so that other districts can also learn that when citizens and municipal workers join hands to work together towards a common goal, i.e. to make Dimapur clean, then it is just a matter of time for the citizens of other districts to take note and follow one another towards a green and clean Nagaland.