Art work gives Tuensang a facelift

April 16, 2021 127 Views No Comment

Moses Hongang Chang
Tuensang | April 16

Travelling to the remotest part of Nagaland from Kohima and Dimapur, crossing many towns and villages, through bad roads and dense forests is an arduous journey. But once people enter Tuensang town, they are greeted by a beautifully designed Indoor Badminton Stadium.

Constructed in 1999, the stadium went through many renovations but the newly painted building is the best pick among all of them.

The Tuensang District Badminton Association (TDBA) through their yearly registration and monthly fee among the badminton players could only afford to pay the electricity and generator bills and pay for the refreshments for players.

They were planning to paint the building but due to lack of funds they approached the District Administration, Tuensang for a fund-raiser.

The Deputy Commissioner raised the issue during a DPDB meeting and urged all HODs to donate towards the cause.

Eventually an amount of Rs 1,63,500 was collected. Other contributions also came from the TDBA, Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) and a few individuals. The incurred expense was around Rs 1,80,000.

After the funds were raised, ‘Project 72 Hrs’ from Kohima was employed to do the paint job which included the beautification of the DC bungalow wall, Indoor Badminton Stadium and Circuit House.

District Fishery Officer, Tuensang Rongsenkumzuk, who is also the TDBA President, informed that, “It was the collective effort of all. We owe our gratitude towards District Administration staffs, HODs those that have contributed, TDBA members, BBBP and the general public. It couldn’t have been possible without their help. If we are united and decide to do something we can do greater things in the future as well.”

He furthered lamented at the fund constraint towards the sport and requested the government to focus on the development of sports.

“We want to give proper coaching to the younger generation and we are doing our best to make our ends meet but the little amount that we collect are sufficient only for light bills, patching floors etc. Once we take the players for inter-district tournament we find difficulty to adjust playing in a carpet court. We need carpeting and the existing wooden floor is also in bad condition. LADP fund or other schemes will be helpful towards it,” he stated.

He further said that the responsibility to keep the stadium neat and clean is a collective one. He urged people not to vandalise the infrastructure.

“Project 72 Hrs is a group of young talented people and we are thankful to them. They have spent their time and energy, which I am sure, is encouraging for the younger generation as well. The Tuensang public is grateful for their service,” he added.

Six members of Project 72 Hrs worked in Tuensang from March 26 to April 13. They painted the walls of the DC’s bungalow, the Indoor Badminton Stadium and the Circuit House, Tuensang.

Speaking to The Morung Express, one of its members said, “The people of Tuensang were friendly and kind towards us.

Even when we were working, we were greeted with smiles and they showed us signs of thumbs-up, which to us was really encouraging. We have done community services in Mon and Kiphire as well. We are glad that our works are getting appreciated.”

Project 72 Hrs team members also mentioned that the stadium building is the tallest project they have ever worked on. They have done bigger buildings like the IG stadium but the Tuensang badminton stadium is the tallest.

Many people thronged the stadium for pictures and some local YouTubers were also seen making videos. One of them commented, “These paintings are surreal and I never expected to see such beautiful paintings in our town. Kudos to all the people involved in it.”

The recently completed beautification drive serves to encourage the community to look at things as a whole and determine what they want to contribute to make their town and city a better place to live. To make their place thriving with development and improvement, it should be the collective effort of citizens.

Source: https://morungexpress.com/art-work-gives-tuensang-a-facelift