A view of the new DC office complex in Chümoukedima village. (Morung File Photo)
Dimapur, September 29 (MExN): Dimapur-based civil society organisations under the aegis of Dimapur District Citizens’ Forum (DDCF) on Wednesday served an ultimatum to the Chief Minister of Nagaland demanding that the state government abandon its plan to shift the “logistically located” Dimapur Deputy Commissioner’s office.
The ultimatum, a copy of which was issued to this newspaper, was signed by 12 Dimapur-based CSOs, and submitted through the Dimapur DC Rajesh Soundararajan.
As per the ultimatum, in spite of repeated representations against the relocation of the DC’s office going back as far as 2014, the Home department had, on September 7, issued a notification for shifting of the District Election Office and the Disaster Management Cell to the new DC Complex. It had also instructed the district administration to make necessary arrangements to shift other branches at the earliest.
Maintaining that “The Deputy Commissioner’s office must remain in the present location and should never be shifted elsewhere,” the CSOs, in the ultimatum, demanded that the state government cancel the Home Department’s notification and remove the tag ‘HQ: Chümoukedima; Camp: Dimapur’ from the letterhead of the DC within five days with effect from September 29.
It said that the Dimapur-based CSOs, during an emergency meeting, had resolved not to allow any move to shift the DC office “in part or as a whole” as the office is located in a cadastral land which means it is an urban area. “Shifting it would entail tremendous hardship for the citizens of Dimapur as more than 50 % of the total population of Dimapur District live under Dimapur Sadar Sub Division,” it added.
The ultimatum stated that unlike other districts of Nagaland, Dimapur has three revenue areas and is also the commercial capital of the state for which the Dimapur DC is also the district collector. It also said that democratically elected representatives of the people should keep the best interest of the people in mind while taking such sensitive decisions.
“There is clear a apprehension of tension leading to unrest if the Government goes ahead with the decision to shift the headquarter elsewhere,” it added.
Further, it also expressed surprise over the posting of an ADC in the office of EAC Chümoukedima and said that while it may be the prerogative of the State Government to put in place such administrative arrangements, “no proper system seems to have been followed.”
“People are aware that between EAC and ADC, there is another post of SDO (Civil), it added.
