Air Rifle Shooting Range inaugurated at Sungratsu village in Mokokchung

MOKOKCHUNG — A first-of-its-kind Air Rifle Shooting Range at Sungratsu village, Mokokchung, funded under the Local Area Development Fund (LADF) 2024-25, along with additional personal contributions from the local legislator, was inaugurated on Tuesday.

T N Mannen, MLA and advisor for Law and Justice and Land Revenue, who represents the 23 Impur Assembly Constituency, inaugurated the shooting range.

He stated that this is the first instance of LADF being channelled towards tangible sports infrastructure aimed at youth empowerment and personality development.

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“The primary goal of LADF is to enable youth to excel in diverse fields,” Mannen stated, adding that personality development, youth empowerment, and tackling unemployment remain top priorities for his constituency.

The Advisor placed special emphasis on restoring and strengthening unity across the Asetkong range, noting that electoral rivalries have often strained village relationships at a heavy cost. “Rivalry among villages yields no winners. It is time to set aside bitter election-era divisions and unite for comprehensive socio-economic progress in the entire Asetkong range,” he urged.

He announced that a substantial portion of future LADF allocations will support ambitious projects spearheaded by the Asetkong Think Tank Committee, expressing optimism that these initiatives will trigger economic resurgence and benefit the range on a larger scale. He advised the committee to adopt a holistic approach that places unity and sustainable socio-economic growth at its core.

Mannen commended the Air Rifle Shooting Range Committee for completing the project with transparency and accountability, stressing that purposeful and judicious use of limited funds directly translates into community welfare.

He reminded the managing committee that shooting is a disciplined and resource-intensive sport and urged them to build a self-sustaining model that nurtures talent without perpetual dependence on government or charitable support.

Addressing broader societal concerns, the advisor lamented the blurring of truth and falsehood in public life and held both politicians and citizens equally accountable for misuse of public funds.

He challenged the youth to break the cycle of dependency on government jobs, asserting that the era of “ready-made employment” is over. “Do not squander the prime years of your life. Seize every opportunity to hone your skills and talents. True self-reliance means creating opportunities and providing platforms for talent to flourish,” he said.

S Bedang Aier, chairman of Sungratsu Village Council, thanked the MLA for his leadership and lauded local youth for prioritising community welfare over personal gain in utilising government funds.

Moatsüngba Aier, in his project report, informed that the shooting range was executed under the supervision of a committee formed by the village council at a total cost of INR 8.80 lakh from LADF and an additional INR 3.50 lakh contributed personally by the advisor.

The programme was also addressed by Vitolu Chishi, EAC Kubolong, and Chubatoshi, executive engineer, PWD (Road and Bridges) Mangkolemba Division, who spoke on the vision and future prospects of shooting as a competitive discipline.