Authorities seek Kohima citizens’ participation in survey

KOHIMA — Only 2,338 citizens out of the 1.15 lakh population in Kohima have responded online to the Ease of Living (EOL) Index so far, as of February 28, according to Kohima Smart City officials. Another 400-500 have participated offline.

The EOL is a citizen perception survey conducted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, as an assessment exercise in capturing the perception of citizens with respect to the quality of life in their respective cities. 

Addressing a press conference on Friday, Chief Executive Officer of Kohima Smart City Development Limited and administrator of Kohima Municipal Council, Kovi Meyase informed that till date, ‘we have tallied 2,338 citizens who have responded online’.

He said that the actual “threshold value” was 1,076, but at this point of time, it has crossed 2,000. He appealed to all the citizens to continue to participate in the survey and try to increase the tally in online response.

The survey, which is being administered both online and offline, will culminate on February 29. As per the union ministry’s website, the total citizen feedback stood at 27,84,453 as of February 28.

Joint CEO of KSCDL Avelü Ruho said that ‘very often’ citizens either complain about lack of amenities and facilities in the city. This survey is a “very good chance” for citizens to share their experiences, she shared. 

While the response has crossed the threshold value, Kohima has a population of more than 1 lakh and only about 2300 citizens had given their feedback, she said. ‘To have your opinions heard by the central government is a big thing’, she added.

As for the online survey result, she said that there is no way of knowing it right now. However, the result would be made known once the analysis of the survey is done, she said. 

For offline participation, Ruho said that about six volunteers have reached out to non-tech savvy communities including street vendors, construction workers, daily wage earners etc. About 500 citizens from the middle-aged group participated offline, she added.

Ruho also shared the reactions and feedbacks made by a different group of people. On being asked about employment opportunities, the street vendors were reported to have said that ‘if one is not lazy, there are ample economic opportunities’.

Whereas, the reply to the same question among the college students was the opposite. The youngsters replied that there are no employment opportunities, Ruho shared. 

According to her, most of the respondents have also said that ‘water quality is very good but not adequate’. The feedback varied ‘from area to area’, she added. 

Many citizens gave feedbacks regarding the cinema hall and recreational activities. She shared that the older generation are against those activities, yet many youths felt that there should be more recreational activities.

As for the result, the officer said that the ministry is yet to give a clear-cut date, but it will likely be announced in the month of June.

Wall painting competition

As part of the activities under citizens’ engagement under EOL, an inter-ward wall painting competition was held; the results were declared during the press conference. New Market Colony, Ward No. 8 stood in the first position, second place was awarded to High School (Ward No. 1) and third place was bagged by Officers’ Hill and Hospital area (Ward No. 10). Two consolation prizes were given to Ward No. 13 (Lower Chandmari) and Ward No. 17 (Agri-Electrical colony).

The competition was judged based on creativity and originality; slogan and messages it conveyed; artistry; and overall design and concept of the painting.  There will be a prize distribution programme on March 2 during office hours, at KSCDL office. Cash prizes and citations will be presented to the winners.