Dimapur, September 30 (MExN): Akuluto town has asked Nagaland University to ‘return’ the town’s post office and the state bank branch reportedly shifted to the university’s Lumami campus. Three leaders representing a ‘joint council’ of Lumitsami, Shichimi and Sütemi villages today wrote to the vice chancellor of Nagaland university expressing resentment that the university was being developed at the expense of Akuluto’s own development.
The post office and the state bank branch is to be ‘returned’ to Akuluto or else face consequences from the town’s public. “Failure to adhere the stated grievances the public will in no way give cooperation to your office but will initiate own course of action for the retention of lost departments,” the representation to the VC stated.
Akuluto town came into existence through the initiation of a handful of committed public elders drawn from the said three villages, the representation said. Since her inception in 1917, progress gained momentum starting with the late Dr. Hokishe Sema (former Chief Minister and Governor). Development resumed and continues to progress through the initiation of former elected members IK Sema, Kakheto Kinny and I Kheto Kinny from the “village school-level to the present sub-divisional status,” the representation said.
However, the representation said, as Nagaland University began to take shape in Akuluto’s jurisdiction “mixed feelings” have been brought in, the representation to the VC said.
“On one hand it made the area people proud and privileged to have easy excess to study and elevate livelihood status through employment and business transaction unlike any other sub divisional towns. But on the other way around it is sad to reveal that the university development has been done at the expense of Akuluto town by means of dragging away an age old existing department like Post Office and state bank to Lumami.”
This “tribal discriminative policy of shifting and deserting Akuluto town for the development of Nagaland University, certainly is aggravating the sentiment of general public of Akuluto town.”
The representation asked the VC to check “your higher office development discrepancies and better seek concern central department to facilitate you all the university entitled services like Post office and State Bank instead of dragging the existing aged old departments of Akuluto town with the pretext of meager revenue.”
The VC is asked to ‘kindly retract’ Akuluto’s Post Office and state bank branch immediately to its former location (Akuluto town) and also ‘withdraw the additional departments that are intending to do so’ at the expense of Akuluto town. Doing this will avert “any untoward incident between your good authority and the Akuluto town area public.” Failure to comply would mean the public will no longer cooperate with Nagaland University “but will initiate own course of action for the retention of lost departments.”
.jpg)
