It has come to light that car passes issued for entry into Kisama by the Organising Committee of the Hornbill Festival were been stolen from vehicles. These limited passes were earlier issued to officials, media, department heads and dignitaries that allows the vehicles to pass the festival gate. Vehicles without car passes are parked at Kigwema Public Ground.

A frustrated media person said that for some people visiting the Hornbill Festival, the car passes have become a status symbol for many.

“My pass, which was affixed to my car, was stolen yesterday at Kisama. Upon asking around, I learned that many others have also had their car passes taken,” she said.

Several other media members also reported that their passes were stolen from their vehicles. Alice Yhoshü, President of the Kohima Press Club, informed the organizers about these incidents urging the Tourism Department officials to alert those responsible for security and parking to be more vigilant.

She added that with limited car passes available for the media, the thefts create additional challenges for journalists, especially those carrying heavy equipment like cameras and tripods. “Most of us have been carpooling since day one,” she mentioned.

Another media person also made a complaint on the incident stating that her pass was stolen from her car which was parked near Imagi.LAND. She said, “We are here for work and not for fun. People need to understand the reason why everyone was not given car pass. We were given pass because we have work to do.” She also said that the limited car pass has created the public using these passes as a status and showing off that they own one. She added that she has also put a complaint to the concern authorities and hoped for stringent action.

Several complaints had been made about the car pass issue as families, especially with children, expressed that it was challenging for them to attend the festival due to difficulties related to the parking. However, the parking at Kigwema Ground is being efficiently managed and shuttle buses are working around the clock ferrying people between Kisama and the Ground.