Governor of Manipur Ajay Kumar Bhalla greets officials and members of the SAPO and Viswema Village Council at Viswema village enroute to Dzükou valley on July 7. (DIPR Photo)
Kohima, July 7 (MExN): Kohima, July 7 (MExN): The Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) reaffirmed its traditional stewardship of the Dzükou Valley and called for community-led conservation during the visit of Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla to the iconic valley on Monday.
Bhalla and his entourage was accorded a traditional welcome at Viswema village enroute to the valley.
The Governor, accompanied by his wife Jyoti Bhalla and an official delegation, was received at Viswema by Kohima Deputy Commissioner B Henok Buchem, NCS, Superintendent of Police Krodi Rhetso, NPS, other officials, office bearers of the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) and members of the Viswema Village Council, a statement received here said.
Following the reception, the Governor proceeded to Dzükou Valley accompanied by the Extra Assistant Commissioner (Kezocha), SDPO (South), Medical Officer, police personnel and tourist guides.
The district administration and security agencies ensured smooth and safe conduct of the visit, it said.
The Governor said he was impressed by the valley’s preserved ecosystem, clean air and water.
In its welcome address, SAPO President, Er Tepul Hopovi said the visit was “it is a symbolic convergence of stewardship and landscape, of governance and guardianship,” and described Dzükou as a biodiverse haven of bamboo meadows, endemic flora and clear watersheds. “The Southern Angami have been the custodians of this mystical and paradise on earth, Dzükou in Nagaland, since time immemorial,” he added.
The organisation said the valley, though under its traditional custodianship, belonged to “all nature lovers” to protect and promote, and that the state government now shared in this stewardship.
SAPO said it hoped the Governor’s visit would reaffirm that the North-East’s most enduring wealth lies not in extraction but in preservation and that true development harmonizes aspiration with ecology and progress with posterity. “May Dzükou stand as a lodestar for climate-resilient, community-led conservation -a model where indigenous wisdom and statecraft coalesce,” Er Hopovi added.
As a mark of respect, SAPO presented the Governor with a traditional Angami shawl and a memento.
The organisation also thanked the Nagaland government, particularly the Deputy Commissioner, Superintendent of Police and other officials, for coordinating and facilitating the visit.
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