Monthly District Planning and Development Board meeting held in Wokha on February 24 at DC’s Conference Hall, Wokha. (DIPR Photo)
Wokha, February 24 (MExN): The monthly meeting of the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB) was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall, Wokha on February 24, chaired by Deputy Commissioner and Vice Chairman DPDB Vineet Kumar, IAS. MLA and Chairman of the Bhandari Subdivision Planning and Development Board Achumbemo Kikon was present along with officers and Heads of Departments from across the district.
The meeting began with a review of the previous month’s agendas before moving into discussions on key issues and new initiatives.
The house deliberated on the drying up of Etsutchukha, the only perennial water source in the heart of Wokha town. Officials from the PHED Department, Forest Department and Wokha Town Council presented their assessments and identified borewell drilling around the pond as a major cause of depletion. The Town Council has issued a ban on drilling new borewells and deepening existing ones.
Kikon took note of the matter and suggested immediate revival measures, including plantation drives in Mount Tiyi. He urged the Forest Department to take responsibility for afforestation and proposed that each Town Councillor care for at least 20 trees. He also requested the Nagaland Ground Water Board to provide assistance and interventions for the revival of the water source and called for stricter regulation of groundwater extraction in the town area.
The meeting passed a resolution for the construction of a new district hospital, with plans to upgrade it to an urban hospital and include a nursing college. Medical Superintendent Wokha, Dr. N. Mhonchan Kithan, stated that the hospital began as a 4-bedded facility in 1876 under the Civil Surgeon Mokokchung and was upgraded to 50 beds in 1969. However, facilities remain inadequate, with overcrowding during peak seasons and no staff quarters. Encroachment has reduced the hospital’s land from 50–60 acres to 6–7 acres, further compounding the challenges.
Kikon also raised concerns regarding geotagging and mapping, which showed several Lotha villages under Assam, and pointed to its seriousness and potential impact on census operations. He further noted ongoing efforts to minimise human-elephant conflicts. Both issues were adopted as resolutions during the meeting.
The meeting also marked the launch of the AI-powered Citizens SEWA Chatbot, a multi-channel digital interface serving as a single gateway to district government services. The chatbot offers information services, emergency support, grievance redressal and access to over 43 government programmes including CMMFI, PM Vishwakarma and PM-KISAN. It also provides location-based services for PHCs, Anganwadis and BLO information. The chatbot is available via WhatsApp by sending ‘Hi’ to 6009472717, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, the Wokha Web Portal and through SMS service.
Wokha is set to become Nagaland’s model for digital governance under Phase-II expansion.
During the meeting, District Programme Officer, District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit Wokha, Lichumo Odyuo, reported that detection rates have risen to 26 per cent compared to 24 per cent in previous years. Pamphlets on “Drug Abuse in the Workplace” were distributed.
Officials from the Economics and Statistics Department delivered a departmental presentation highlighting key data and initiatives.
