Volunteers from the Phek District Sports Association gathered waste left behind by spectators at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima on August 27. (Photo Courtesy: Social media)
Morung Express News
Kohima | August 27
The lack of basic public behaviours among Nagas was evident in the amount of litter scattered around the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, during the recent Nagaland Olympic & Paralympic Games 2022.
All around the stadium, spectators left behind their waste in the form of papers, empty chips packets, broken alcohol bottles, empty water bottles, gutkhas packets etc., while there were also several empty water bottles that were used as spittoons and left near the seats along with other waste.
Noting the huge amount of litter, the Phek District Sports Association took it upon themselves to clean the length and breadth of the stadium by manually picking all the wastes on Saturday morning.
Speaking to The Morung Express, PDSA president, Nezosa Tetseo said, the decision to clean the stadium was taken with all their players on the evening of August 26. The players, he said, have enthusiastically volunteered to take part in the cleanliness drive.
Tetseo added that Phek district players always make it a point to clean their area after every match.
Cleaning the stadium today, he said it was repulsive with all sorts of waste, especially sputum of gutkhas, paan and beetlenut inside the empty water bottles.
“Let's be more civilised in our behaviour just as we dressed smartly and neatly,” he said in a message to all fellow Nagas.
Tetseo also maintained that when the government has spent so much money to develop the stadium, it is everyone's duty and responsibility to maintain and keep it clean.
Despite being developed in other aspects of life, Nagas still have a long way to go towards conscious civic public behaviours or social ethics.
