Dreams do come true. Yes I thought so to myself on the night of october5 when I read the news about how the urban development department was going to fund the communitisation project. Here is just another critic, people might think. Yes I am, but even the name of the department really does not suit the situation. I mean... Urban? I think our state, or Kohima for that matter has a long way to go before it is ready to be called urban but I am not here to advocate for a change of the department’s name. It’s our land, our Nagaland that needs to be ‘urbanized’. Yes we Naga’s do have super urban lifestyles, we love urban cities, and we love basically everything urban.
but I don’t think it looks very urban wearing that super skinny jeans, high heels everything which looks like a pull out from the latest fashion magazines and be walking on a muddy, garbage strewn, broken footpath, or be driving the latest car maybe an SX4 or a merc over a pothole the size of small fishery pond. So I think I am justified in being overjoyed at something like that, a project like that which is based on the community working at the grass roots. Fears and doubts abound no doubt but still optimistic.
Communitisation deals directly with the consumers or the beneficiaries and therefore, I think, has met with some success in our state. I know for one the Power department has been moderately successful in their communitisation project. So now I am starting to wonder if communitisation is the only way we can ensure a safe and successful execution of future projects. I am compelled to.
I think the problem with us is we still haven’t learned the very basic lesson that, which is public property, means our property, because the public is us. Once we have learned that lesson I think most of our problems will be solved, and of course along with that the lessons of honesty and sincerity will go a long way in making our land truly urban. I’ll no longer feel that cringe whenever our dear Dimapur is referred to as a ‘city’(at least I do).
I think the only way to make it happen is for every individual citizen to do her/his part sincerely and to stop being indifferent to the situation.
Peteneinuo Angami
peteyiese@gmail.com
