Kuda youth reclaim a former dumping spot as a food hub, offering a fresh approach to keeping public spaces clean
Yapangnaro Jamir
DIMAPUR — For years, a stretch of roadside at Dimapur’s Kuda village, near the bridge end, had become an unofficial dumping ground, with plastic bags and household waste piling up and an unpleasant stench greeting commuters.
Today, the same spot is drawing people for a very different reason—the aroma of food. At the centre of the transformation is ‘Handle Da Heat’, a local food stall that has helped turn the neglected stretch into a small food hub.
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The change is part of an initiative by the Kuda B Youth Organisation (KBYO), which has been trying to reclaim the area after repeated clean-up efforts failed to stop people from dumping waste there.
According to KBYO members, the organisation tried several approaches, including routine clean-up drives, warnings and other measures. But garbage would often return within days of a clean-up.
The experience led the youth organisation to rethink its approach. Instead of repeatedly clearing an unused space, the KBYO decided to encourage local entrepreneurs and small businesses to occupy the stretch. The idea was that a space in regular use would be less likely to be treated as a dumping ground.
“It was not enough to keep cleaning. We needed to make people see the space differently,” the initiative suggests. The approach also meant that the area would have a regular presence, making it easier to maintain and discouraging indiscriminate dumping.
A business takes the risk
Setting up a food stall in the area was not without its risks. Earlier vendors had reportedly struggled to sustain businesses there because of poor footfall, unhygienic surroundings and a lack of cooperation.
Malemnganba Angom, owner of ‘Handle Da Heat’, told Eastern Mirror that setting up at the location was a calculated risk. With consistent operations and a focus on the quality of its food, however, the stall gradually attracted customers and established a steady presence.
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What was once associated with garbage is now a place where people stop for food, meet friends and spend time together.
For the KBYO, the change offers an example of how productive use of neglected public spaces can complement conventional clean-up efforts.
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The transformation has also faced setbacks. Angom shared that the stall was recently targeted by miscreants who stole cooking gas cylinders and other essential items, resulting in a significant loss for the small business. Despite the setback, ‘Handle Da Heat’ has continued operating.
The story of the Kuda bridge-end stretch is ultimately about more than one business. It highlights the difficulty of keeping public spaces clean when dumping continues even after repeated clean-up drives. At the same time, it shows how community organisations can experiment with different ways of reclaiming neglected spaces.
The responsibility, however, does not end with the organisation or the businesses occupying the area. For the transformation to last, residents and commuters must resist littering and treat the reclaimed space as a shared public asset.
At Kuda, a spot once known for garbage is now known for food. Whether that change endures will depend as much on civic responsibility as it does on the people who helped reclaim it.
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