The Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) has attended its solidarity with Dimapur Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) as the ‘indefinite shutter down’ in the commercial hub of Nagaland begins tomorrow. Commending DCCI for taking the “necessary” step, the Mokokchung traders’ body said that the present situation in Dimapur and Nagaland as a whole “warrants a real shake-up”.

Mokokchung underwent a similar situation in the 1990s and early 2000s, MCCI stated, recalling how “Naga political groups took Mokokchung for ransom.” It said that the people eventually said enough and took matters into their own hands because of which “Mokokchung is relatively the most peaceful town in Nagaland today and is the least affected by the menace of extortion by Naga political groups in the name of the Naga national movement.”

“We feel the pain endured by Dimapur and we support the actions taken by the DCCI,” its Mokokchung counterpart stated, stressing that NPGs “must cease and desist from their illegal activities or face the wrath of the people.”

MCCI also said that the Government of Nagaland should prioritize restoring law and order. “By not taming the anti-social elements, the state government is viewed as aiding and abetting them,” it stated.

The Chamber pointed out that due to the “unabated extortion by the innumerable underground groups”, commodities in Dimapur are much costlier than in Mokokchung and appealed to the citizens of the commercial hub of the State to stand with DCCI and “own your city.”

“Your decisive action today will reshape Nagaland’s socio-economic growth. If Dimapur prospers, the prosperity of the rest of Nagaland will follow suit”, MCCI stated.

Further, Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce & Industry asserted that it is ready to “join the proposed state-wide indefinite shutter down protest if the government does not heed to the demand of the DCCI.”