Dimapur celebrates Advent Christmas with tip to sanitation

DMC highlights ‘dustbin free zone’ and ‘plastic roads’

[caption id="attachment_152894" align="aligncenter" width="565"] Representatives of the ‘Cleanest colony competition 2017’ winner Riverbelt colony receiving the award from Dimapur’s Deputy Commissioner Sushil Kumar Patel. (EM Images)[/caption] Dimapur, Dec. 3(EMN): It was a few years ago that Dimapur‘s City Tower was the scene of a terrible event. ‘Today we have transformed it into a beautiful spot and we have gathered to celebrate a wonderful event. This is the change, the transformation we need for Dimapur. We need to come together as a community, join hands and work together for a better Dimapur.’ That was the message conveyed by Dimapur Municipal Council’s (DMC) administrator Moa Sangtam at the advent Christmas celebrations that was organised by the DMC on Sun. Dec. 3 at the Clock Tower in the commercial city. The DMC is on an endeavour to make Dimapur municipal area a ‘dustbin free zone’ by 2018 but this can be achieved only with the cooperation and participation of the community, Sangtam said in his keynote address. He assured that the council would work toward achieving said goal ‘till Dimapur municipal area is free of all dustbins and open dumping areas.’ DMC has the Solar Project which is on a 50-50 percent contribution between interested colonies and DMC. Riverbelt colony will be the first colony to install the solar street lights before Christmas. The DMC is also tying up with Living for Environment and the Nagaland Pollution Control Board to make plastic roads a reality, Sangtam said while highlighting the intended projects of the DMC. “Converting household and kitchen waste into manure is another project DMC is starting from Jan. 2018 by collaborating with the NGO ProRural and the winner of the ‘Cleanest colony competition 2017’ will be the first colony to benefit from this project” said the DMC administrator. Also Sangtam informed that the 2nd phase of project ‘A Better Dimapur’ will commence from Jan. 1 2018 with the community participation as the main component. Kingdom Culture Church’s Pastor Visasier Kevichusa, the speaker of the celebration, said in his Christmas message that any message that comes from God does not bring fear. He explained that the trend of prophecy is not the word of God as God does not deliver messages of fear. The pastor has called upon the community and believers to do away with conviction on prophecy ‘which instils fear.’ “Christmas is for all community irrespective of denominations. However, in Nagaland Christmas is not good news for all,” Kevichusa explained. Christmas should be bringing good news but it is a season of bad news for people with the trend of demands in the name of the celebration, he lamented. “Instead of contemplating of demanding let us contemplate on giving this season,” the pastor said and reminded the gathering that this action will make everyone look forward for Christmas. The winners of the ‘cleanest colony competition’ under the DMC project ‘A Better Dimapur’ which started in July 2017 were announced. Riverbelt colony (ward 11) was ranked first; Kevijau colony (ward 16) ranked second; Lengrijan colony (ward 12) third; Island colony (ward 10) fourth; and Niu colony (ward 22) was ranked fifth. In the Christmas carol competition, Maple Tree School was declared the winner, St Paul Catholic Church second and Town Baptist Church third.