DIMAPUR, MARCH 30 (DIPR): Sharing his fantasies on the Nagaland Rural Scenario, during the conference on Rural Development entitled Development through decentralization at the on going NE Agri Expo 2006, the Chief secretary of Nagaland, Laluma today said that he dreams of village to which Urban folks literally scrambled to on holidays in order to escape the noise, congestion and pollution of he town and breathe the unpolluted air and relax themselves in the well maintained rest house maintained by the villagers, swim in the crystal clear river and take long walks in the unspoiled forest, eat home cooked food and return to the towns/cities to go about their tasks with renewed vigour. He dreams of a rural Nagaland where funds percolate down to the VDBs and fruits of development seen-living standard of people substantially increased, fire prone thatch roofing and bamboo walling replaced by CGI sheets and brick walls, black topped all weather roads crises-crossing the villages- mini bus transporting the rural folk- trucks loaded with surplus products winding their way to the market in the town- cold storages and go-downs dotting the landscape stocked with agricultural and horticulture produces awaiting the next consignments to be loaded- village granaries full to the brim- CPO go-downs closed down for want of buyers- forest rejuvenated- feeding the thirsty fields- each village jealously maintaining and guarding its own reserved forests and, water catchments areas- hunting and fishing strictly regulated- water sources and water supply systems managed by the people- no more work charged workers.
Another Sapna as he terms it motivated and educated teacher enthusiastically imparting meaningful education to the children of the future and nurturing moulding them into respectable and useful citizens- school building that looks like centres of learning and not run down sheds that resemble cowsheds- that are carefully maintained by the villagers supported by their own funds, donated materials and voluntary labour- effective and functional village education managing the schools.
On the Animal and Veterinary front the Chief Secretary visualizes healthy cows loaded down with milk contentedly mooing in the meadows munching away the rich fodder blanketing the slopes, sty stocked with pigs and sows- chicken in their hundreds clucking away in their pens- the ponds literally chocked with fish wholesalers and retailers making a bee- live for the villagers- haggling over prices- producers turning dictators- flouring village co-operative handling all the marketing, feed productions and animal health care- small scale cottage industries humming with productive activities generating rural employments and resource- markets all over the country ‘MADE IN NAGALAND’ being looked upon with respect and quiet admiration. Beside many others, Lalhuma’s dream includes Micro hydel projects generating enough power to meet rural requirements of lighting sustaining village industrial units and the down sites storing precious water to irrigate command areas of agricultural land- conventional source of energy and cooking slowly replaced by improved chullahs, bio-gas plants, solar and wind energized, street lights- village dispensaries, manned by the people well stocked with medicines- the concept of dedicated bare-foot doctors of the Chinese pattern revived.
Whether these dreams could be realized and translated into reality depends on the citizens of Nagaland, he said.
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