Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 22
TAKING THE Peren district headquarter selection issue to an elevated plane, the people of Peren under the aegis of the Zeliangrong Baudi (Hoho) will be meeting at the Jalukie Town Hall, January 25 to decide on a particular area for the district headquarter. The matter has seen much controversy ever since the DAN government decided on creating a ‘model district headquarter’ in Peren.
President of the Zeliangrong Baudi (Hoho), Dennis Elung told The Morung Express that since the issue has dragged on for long, it was time for the people themselves to arrive at the consensus which the State government cannot at all refuse. “After the proposal for New Peren as district headquarter was rejected by the people, it was felt that a general mandate be taken up and a consensus arrived at to choose the best place” he said adding that if it could be reached, the Government would not refuse the wishes of the people.
To the query on what the next step would be if a feasible ‘consensus’ failed to emerge from the meeting for reason of Peren being inclusive of different areas each with its own distinct claims, Elung said “the matter would be referred to the Government to decide for us.” The Hoho president said that the decision would then be submitted to the Government for approval. “But the Government cannot refuse the wishes of the people. It will be final and binding”, he added while maintaining that the controversy regarding the selection has delayed developmental works for long. In this regard the decision will be taken through public consensus from the said meeting, the President said.
Meanwhile sources informed that apart from Village authorities, GBs, and local leaders, people from around 80 to 90 villages in Peren would attend the meeting. Meanwhile, sources from the government said Friday that the Cabinet was still interested in Jalukie as the new district headquarters. Even the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio was reportedly showing interest in Jalukie for what the sources maintained was for its proximity to service-towns like Kohima and Dimapur, which would be cost-effective and required lesser investment for development.
Controversy has dogged the creation of Peren headquarter ever since the NPF-led DAN Government decided to upgrade Peren sub-division. Keeping in mind the grand nature of the initiative, the government had constituted a Site Verification Committee to decide on a suitable site. It is pertinent to mention that the site verification officials, Mikha Lomi DC Peren, Ken Keditsu Chief Town Planner, J Arem Aier Joint Development Commissioner and K.Theunuo EE Commissioner’s Office, visited the proposed sites New Peren and Lamhai Dungki on July 2 2005.
