TR Zeliang with others during the inauguration of Peren Village Community Building on February 14.
TR Zeliang inaugurates Peren Village Community Building
Our Correspondent
Kohima, February 14
Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang today inaugurated Peren Village Community Building. Speaking on the occasion, he said that Peren Village is a prominent historical place in Peren district.
Peren was established as IB Station by Britishers. During Second World War, a bomb was dropped there but fortunately it did not detonate. Peren being centrally located was selected as Committee Ki of Zeliang Area by 25 elders represented by every range/village. And this Committee Ki is now Peren Town the former Hq. of the District, he said.
He said that Peren Town needs rapid development and expansion. “And with the shifting of the DC’s Office and other offices to the new site, we hope to get the much needed expansion and a well-planned model town,” he said.
“The misconception that the present DC Complex is detached from Peren Town should be addressed. I have in many occasions told this in meetings with the Officers that when you write the address of your office, it should not be written ‘DC Complex, New Peren.’ “It should just be DC Complex Peren or New DC Complex Peren,” he said.
Road connectivity to DC Complex
The Deputy Chief Minister said that New Peren Village, DC Complex and Kejanglwa Village is very far from the main Town due to bad road “but I am positive that within two years we will get sustainable roads connecting DC Complex and the town.”
He said that Peren Town to DC Complex via Chalkot Junction and New Peren village has already been approved under NESIDS (Roads) and DPR has been submitted for sanction.
Another road, Peren town to Government College New Campus via Peren Namdi is under construction under SASCI.
Stating that another road from Jalukie B to DC Complex via Kejanglwa Village has been approved under NESIDS (Roads) 2023-24, he said “Now after completion of these roads, the old town and DC Complex would be only a 20-30 minutes’ drive and we hope to see settlement in the new site and along the stretch in another decade.”
Rs 100 cr for road construction within Peren town
Touching on the issue of road construction within Peren town area of NH-129A, he said “Though it is being delayed, we all have fought a good fight and we will surely achieve good result.”
He said that the Executive Director (ED) Kohima said that this portion, 2.8 KMs stretch, is going to be the costliest road construction in the whole of Northeast.
“Why is this so? Because we fought together and now NHIDCL has agreed to construct the road within the existing ROW and there will be no bypass or diversion,” he said.
This 2.8 KMs will be built at a project cost of Rs 100 cr which is inclusive of the Damage Compensation to the people.
Zeliang informed that he met the officials of NHIDCL in Delhi on numerous occasions and also met the Union Minister MoRTH Nitin Gadkhari specifically for this 2.8 Kms.
“Now, they are ready to spend Rs 100 cr just to build 2.8 KMs of road,” he said.
‘We need common festival’
Touching on Hega festival, Zeliang said, “Zeme celebrate this festival as our main festival but now it is being observed by only a few villages in Zeme area.”
“And Peren Village is one such village which celebrated Hega with so much pride and joy and I encourage you to continue to do so that the younger generations do not forget their cultural and traditional festival,” he said adding “ When we look at the Liangmai, they still celebrate Chega Gadi as a common festival. We, Zeme should also ponder on this and encourage celebrating a common Zeme festival and Hega can be one such festival. Every village celebrating their own festivals and not having one common festival is one reason why our Zeliang festivals often look very dull.”
Call for documentation of folk songs, dance
He said that Zeliangs have very rich culture and tradition.
“Our forefathers have handed down unique culture and practices. Our folk songs and dances are romantic and meaningful which is not seen in other Naga tribes. We have the Hornbill Song with its Dance, the Amur Falcon Dance and Song, the Butterfly Dance and so on and so forth. Our traditional dress is colorful and beautiful and the way we jump and dance is loved and appreciated by many, He said.
He stressed on the need to keep all those documented “so that younger generations do not forget.”
He said that the coming of Christianity has been a huge blessing “for us all but it has also diluted and to some extend destroyed our rich and proud cultural and traditional practices.”
As educated and modern people, it is up to us to try to revive and let our culture shine again, he said.
