Members of Viswema Union Kohima during social work at Vizol Road, Kohima on July 18.
Our Correspondent
Kohima | July 18
Around 200 members of the Viswema community residing in Kohima participated in the first-ever social work drive at Vizol Road on Saturday, undertaking road cleaning, repairing potholes and renovating signboards along the stretch named after former Nagaland’s Chief Minister Vizol.
The initiative, organised by the Viswema Union Kohima, aimed to maintain the road while paying tribute to the late statesman, who also served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha.
Speaking on the occasion, Vizol’s youngest daughter, Akhale Vizol Khamo, currently General Secretary of the Indian Red Cross Society, Nagaland State Branch (IRCSN), expressed gratitude to the Government of Nagaland for naming the road after her father and thanked the Viswema community for preserving his legacy through the social work initiative.
Khamo said the government’s decision to name the stretch from the South Police Station junction to Cathedral Junction as Vizol Road was a fitting tribute to his late father, whose life and public service left a lasting legacy. He recalled that his father was born in 1914 (though he officially used 1916 as his birth year) and served the people until his passing on March 3, 2008.
Describing him as a humble and selfless leader, Khamo said Vizol devoted himself to the welfare of the Naga people from a young age, travelling extensively, often on foot, while actively participating in the Naga political movement. She noted that he was a co-founder of the United Democratic Party, which later evolved into the Naga People’s Front (NPF).
She recounted that Vizol served as Chief Minister of Nagaland during 1974-76 and again from 1978-80 before later representing the state in the Rajya Sabha. During his tenure, she said, Nagaland experienced a period remembered as an “Island of Peace,” reflecting his commitment to peace and harmony.
Khamo said her father always encouraged his children to remain humble, often quoting the Chinese proverb, “The higher you go, the harder you fall.”
She also highlighted Vizol’s contribution as a founding member of the Indian Red Cross Society in Nagaland after serving during the Second World War, saying his lifelong commitment to humanitarian service continued even after his political career.
Expressing appreciation to the Viswema Union Kohima, she thanked the volunteers for cleaning the road and installing signboards bearing the name “Vizol Road,” saying the gesture would help keep her father’s legacy alive for future generations.
Viswema Union Kohima president Vithuzo Kikhi said the social work was organised to clean Vizol Road, repair potholes, clear roadside areas and renovate damaged signboards.
He said this was the first time the Union had conducted a social work programme specifically at Vizol Road, although similar community service activities had been organised elsewhere in the past.
Kikhi added that while the current programme marked the beginning of the initiative, the Union would undertake similar drives again whenever necessary to maintain the road. He said the programme was attended primarily by Viswema residents of Kohima, including members from the New Minister’s Hill Panchayat, without involving government officials.
Meanwhile, Viswema Union Kohima thanked Vikehel Kechu for his contribution towards the social work.
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