Core committee catering to essential needs in Mkg

Core committee catering to essential needs in Mkg

Core committee catering to essential needs in Mkg

The core committee for essential commodities has been working out logistics to ensure the supply of essential goods to people of the district during the lockdown period
 

Limasenla Jamir
Mokokchung| April 30 


Mokokchung district constituted a Core team on essential commodities when the lockdown was announced on March 25. The core team on essential commodities comprises of eleven members headed by the ADC, Mokokchung, Mokokchung Municipal Council, Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce and Industries (MCCI) and various NGOs including Ao Students’ Conference and Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem.


The main purpose of setting up the core team on essential commodities was to focus on catering to the needs of the people of Mokokchung as well as the adjoining districts who depend on Mokokchung market for the supply of essential commodities. The core team also takes the responsibility of communicating and co-coordinating with the sourcing market, Jorhat. 


People can purchase or sell in bulks only after obtaining an approval list from the core team.


The team monitors the price, co-ordinates with the buyers and sellers and also looks into ‘ambitious shopping list’ of the people. 


“We make sure that the people of Mokokchung are not hoarding the essential commodities because we also need to think of the neighbouring districts who buy commodities from Mokokchung” said Tsukti Longkumer, President MCCI and member of the core team.


The team informed that apart from the daily buyers from towns and villages adjacent to Mokokchung, main towns like Zunheboto, Wokha and Tuensang also started sourcing their essential commodities from Mokokchung Town.


When asked what were the main challenges faced by the team, Longkumer said that the biggest challenge was maintaining a balance in the demand and supply of goods in market. “With different churches, village councils and NGOs carrying out Good Samaritan projects, many essential items were purchased in bulks and while some people were receiving aids in ten folds, some villages were finding it difficult to even procure the minimum needs of the village.” 


“The increase in demand of goods than the supply led to price escalation in the Jorhat market which led to an increase in the prices of the essential commodities in the Mokokchung market,” he informed.


“With the government advising everyone to stay home and stay safe, another challenge was convincing the truck drivers and truck owners,” the team said. The drivers and owners were briefed on health, hygiene and maintaining cleanliness and were provided with food and necessary equipments to fight the virus. 


“They are our real heroes and letting them know that made things easier for us,” said Tsukti Longkumer.


The Core team on Essential commodities also looks after the inter-state and inter-district movement of essential commodities vehicles. They have also issued ID cards to the drivers and security personnel.


So far, the Core team has closed 6 shops, five essential commodities shops and one livestock shop for not adhering to the rules and regulations laid out by the Core team on essential Commodities.


“Not many people understand the market dynamics and mechanism. We just want to send out the message to the people that there is no need to panic and hoard because doing that only creates barrier in demand and supply,” the core team said.


Mokokchung Cart donates to needy
Meanwhile, the Mokokchung Cart Home delivery service initiated by the District Administration Mokokchung donated fresh vegetables and pulses to more than a hundred families in Mokokchung Town by delivering it to their doorsteps. 


EAC Mokokchung and Nodal Officer for Mokokchung Cart, Sentilong Ozukum said that the home delivery of fresh vegetables project was initiated to meet the needs of some genuine needy families in the town who had been identified by the volunteers and delivery personnel. 


For more than a month, according to DIPR report, the Mokokchung Cart Team has been relentlessly trying to find market for the local farmers who could not sell their vegetables during the lockdown by going and picking up the vegetables from the villages and selling the vegetables through the Mokokchung Cart App. 


The Mokokchung cart App is powered by delivery personnel from Online Express, such as the Trail Hounds team who have been home delivering essential commodities, medicines and vegetables by following strict COVID-19 protocol.


The Nodal Officer expressed appreciation to the Horticulture Department for donating crates for storing the vegetables, Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem for donating cotton delivery bags, Team Impact Marep, Mokokchung for donating paper carry bags for use during the delivery and also NSRLM Mokokchung, SHGs for coordinating with the local farmers.