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Nagaland Tourist Police personnel on duty at Kisama during the Hornbill Festival in 2018.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 4 (EMN): Ahead of the 10-day-long annual Hornbill Festival, which will begin on December 1, the Nagaland Police have come up with several safety and security measures as well as guidelines for tourists to ensure that no untoward incident happens during the event.
This time around, the measures appear meticulous including carrying a small flashlight.
“You never know when you'll suddenly find yourself in the dark,” it stated. The guideline also advised tourists to respect local culture, check the weather and to put on clothes accordingly; avoid taking assistance from middlemen and taking food from strangers etc.
Visitors including local, domestic, and international throng the 'Festival of festivals' held every year from December 1 to the 10th at Naga heritage village Kisama, which is about 10 km from the capital town Kohima. The department of Tourism confirmed that a total of 2, 51,701 people visited the Hornbill Festival the previous year.
To ensure safe and hassle-free environment for tourists, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had launched the Nagaland Tourist Police on November 26 2018, in Kohima. The special squad consisting of 73 police personnel, out of whom 50 were women, earned a good name for the state through their prompt assistance to those who visited the event, including an episode where a little boy from Mumbai was reunited with his parents.
The official twitter handle of Nagaland Tourist Police had on November 4 posted 19 security tips for tourists. It also provided guidelines regarding entry permits for foreign and domestic tourists.
Foreign or international tourists, it stated, can enter Nagaland for free, provided they register with the Foreigner’s Registration Officer of the districts they visit, or at the nearest police station within 24 hours of their arrival. As for domestic visitors, Inner Line Permit must be obtained from the deputy commissioner’s office of Mokokchung, Dimapur, and Kohima or from the deputy residential commissioner of Nagaland House at New Delhi, Kolkata, and Guwahati.
Inspector General of Police Sonia Singh, who is also in charge of the Nagaland Tourist Police, had told Eastern Mirror the previous year that the tourist police would not only be a thing of the Hornbill Festival but would be there throughout the year to ensure safety of tourists.“We are going to extend to all the districts because tourists come to Nagaland throughout the year,” she had said.
These are the other safety measures issued by the police: avoid going to isolated places without a proper guide; avoid hiring taxis without number plates; keep address confidential and luggage checked; call immediately in case of theft; carry one’s medicine prescription; beware of staged road accidents; maintain cleanliness and hygiene, especially in ecologically sensitive areas.