Centre offices in Kohima observe half-day closure

KOHIMA — Central offices in Nagaland’s state capital, Kohima, closed for a half-day on Monday on account of the celebration of Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha in Ayodhya.

Notable closures included the State Bank of India, post offices and the office of the Accountant General.

A notice pasted outside the Head Post Office in Kohima stated that “all central govt. offices, central institutions and central industrial establishments will be closed for half-day till 14.30 hours on 22.01.2024 as the Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya will be celebrated on the stated date.”

Another notice outside the State Bank of India, Kohima branch, stated that the branch would function from 2:30 pm onwards on account of the celebration.

In the meantime, unaware of the closure, the public, particularly students accompanied by guardians and parents, arrived at the Post Office to update their Aadhaar cards.

When some of the visitors discovered the reason for the half-day closure, they expressed their frustration, claiming that Nagaland, which is a Christian-majority state, should not be affected by such celebrations.

The visitors were also promptly advised by the staff present at the office to come back the next day for any work, citing that they were not sure whether other employees would arrive after 2.30 PM.