Kangpokpi: The first ever Mapao Zingsho Clean Village Festival organized by Mapao Zingsho Katamnao Long (MZKL) and Clean Village Committee (CVC) began on Tuesday at Mapao Zingsho village football ground, under the motto Cleanliness is next to Godliness.
Mapao Zingsho is a village of around 140 households with a population of 800. It is situated in Kangpokpi District, just 18 km from Imphal.
Changam Vashi, president MZKL said that the main aim of the festival is to promote cleanliness and they want young children, students and the world to learn from them. “Clean and tidy surroundings give us a sound mind”, he added. The other objective is to promote tourism and bring development to the village.
The inaugural program started with a blessing by Rev. L Ningam, pastor Mapao Zingsho followed by flag hoisting by the chief guest, then welcome and keynote address by the convener.
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In his welcome address, Assurance Raikhan, convener CVC mentioned that Mapao was named as the cleanest village in Manipur by the government on September 27, 2016. However, they could not organize this festival earlier. The cleanliness of the village is maintained by every individual and monitored by the Student Union (incl. young children) and village youths. Then he highlighted some of the difficulties the village is facing, like weak network connection, scarcity of water and the need of a good football ground. He also mentioned that they need a good guest house in the form of huts for the tourists to come and rest when they visit.
Assurance Raikhan’s speech was followed by a presentation of the dignitaries, Tangkhul folk dance by Mapao Zingsho and Hmar Bamboo dance by HAS DM College.
L. Susindro Meitei, minister PHED, CAF & PD, considering the memorandum handed earlier by the convener, said that he will inform the MLA of Saikul to add funds for Mapao Zingsho in Local Area Development fund. The minister also said he will get interested investors to invest in the village development.
Pointing out that the village is filled with trees and there should not be scarcity of water, the minister said that he will construct a water reservoir for the village. As for network issues and water problems, he will be sending engineers within three days to inspect the place. A team from Airtel network will be coming and by next year the Jio network will also be considered.
Minister L. Susindro Meitei then encouraged the people in the village to produce fruits and handicrafts so as to generate income from the tourists.
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Zuringla Kengoo, deputy commissioner Kangpokpi and functional president, encouraged the village to make their own re-usable cloth bags recycled from old clothes so that they can stop using single-used plastic. She also advised the village to encourage children to take part in sport as it is vital for healthy minds.
Renedy Singh, former Indian national team captain and special guest, advised the organizers to organize sports for the kids in the village to give them more opportunity in the discipline, and to form a team of U-14 from the village. “If you can have the cleanest village in the state, I am sure you can have the best team”, he added.
Arun Thangjam, MLA Kangkhei Kendra and guest of honour, remarked that the people in the village have a high civic sense that is how they can achieve this cleanliness.
The inaugural program ended with a vote of thanks by Wungnaoyo Zimik, headman Mapao Zingsho. The chief guest officially kicked off State level open football tournament which will continue till October 24.
There will also be a live musical concert on the last day of the festival on a ticket basis.
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