Youth campaign wants ‘clean election’ without plastic

Dimapur, March 21 (EMN): A musical concert to publicise the adverse impact of plastic was staged in Kohima on March 20. The theme of the event was a campaign dubbed the “No to plastic, yes to clean election,” according to updates on Thursday that the government bulletin IPR issued.
The programme will culminate on April 6 and will cover 19 wards of Kohima town, the updates stated.
The campaign was organised by Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) in collaboration with the Music Task Force of the department of Youth Resources and Sports, it was informed.

The administrator of the KMC, Kovi Meyase, delivered a short speech during the event. He said that the campaign was organised to spread awareness on ‘our’ common resolve to restrict the use of plastic within the town. It was organised with the objective to ‘propagate clean election practices through the medium of music,’ the gathering was told.

Meyase said that the KMC had organised other events such as discussions, in the month of November 2018, covering 19 wards, traders, women groups, and Kohima Town Baptist Pastors Fellowship, among others. He informed that the organisers will be covering other denominations as well.

Keeping in line with the government’s decision to restrict the use of plastic, Kovi said further that the intention was to educate the public on plastic management through the medium of music. This way, he said, will attract the attention of the public.

During the campaign all the 19 wards will be covered, next being Bayavü on March 21 at 5:00 pm, he said. It will be followed by North Block on March 22; Nagabazar on March 23; Kitsubozou March 24; D’ Block March 25; Daklane March 26; New Market March 27; Midland March 28; Officers Hill March 29; PWD, Lower and upper Chandmari March 30; Dzüvürü March 31; AG April 1; New Ministers Hill April 2; Agri-Forest April 3; Paramedical April 4; and PR Hill on April 5.

Meyase appealed to the public to take the issue seriously and extend their support in spreading awareness in the days to come too. He lauded a group called the Green Team of Kohima for their service concerning the cause. He said that they were the ‘backbone of the plastic management movement in Kohima town.’

A member from the Green Team also spoke on the topic ‘No to Plastic’ while master trainer for election processes, Bodevi Shüya spoke on the use of electronic voting machines and the voter’s verifiable paper audit trail. The trainer highlighted the important eleven documents, besides the elector’s photo identity card as stipulated by the Election Commission of India, which are to be produced by voters in order to exercise their vote on polling day. During the campaign, electronic voting machines and voter’s verifiable paper audit trail were set up in the SVEEP mobile van.

A group of youngsters from the Chakhesang Baptist Church in Kohima performed during the concert. Altogether five choirs, two bands, and six soloists including two local artists have been engaged to perform in the musical concerts during the campaign for the 19 wards.