The 12-hour Dimapur shutdown called by Dimapur-based civil society organisations passed off peacefully without any untoward incident reported from any part of the district on Thursday.
All business establishments in Dimapur town downed their shutters while the strike had no impact in Chumukedima and Medziphema towns of Dimapur district.
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Government and private offices, educational institutions and banks functioned as usual while vehicles plied normally.
Dimapur police deployed adequate security personnel in different pockets of the town to thwart any untoward incident during the strike.
The civil society bodies called the shutter-down strike in protest against the Nagaland government’s decision to shift the Dimapur deputy commissioner’s office from the present location to the new deputy commissioner’s complex at Chumukedima.
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They had imposed the strike despite the government’s appeal on Wednesday to reconsider their decision to go for the shutter-down.
In an appeal letter, issued by principal secretary (home) Abhijit Sinha, the government requested the Dimapur District Citizens Forum (DDCF) not to oppose the shifting of the DC’s office and rather cooperate with it in implementing this well-thought-out decision in the overall interest of the people of Dimapur district.
On Wednesday, the organizations, under the banner of DDCF, submitted an ultimatum to the chief minister demanding that the government cancel its September 7 order for shifting the DC’s office within five days with effect from September 29.
The memorandum said the present DC’s office is located in an urban area and shifting it to the new location would cause tremendous hardship to the citizens of Dimapur as more than 50% population of the district live under the Dimapur Sadar sub-division.
“We are totally against shifting the DC’s office to any other location. We are merely demanding not to shift the DC’s office and we have no other intention,” a leader of the DDCF told reporters in Dimapur on Monday.
He said the shifting of the DC’s office will not be allowed under any circumstances.
He also questioned the heavy deployment of security personnel during the shutter-down when the government cannot provide enough security to stop the illegal collection of ‘tax’ from the shopkeepers and other anti-social activities.
“We are going to form a core committee comprising all the Dimapur-based civil society organisations on the issue. We will take the next course of action if the government fails to meet our demand within five days,” another leader said.
On Wednesday, the Naga Tribal Union Chumukedima Town asked the citizens of Chumukedima town not to enforce the shutter-down.
It also extended support to the government’s decision to shift the DC’s office to the new complex at Chumukedima.
The Medziphema Town Mechü Krotho today affirmed that it will continue to support the shifting of the DC’s office as decided at a joint public meeting called by it with all different tribal unions of Medziphema town on September 11.
The organization also denounced today’s shutter-down imposed by some Dimapur-based civil society organizations.