Deploying tourist police, Nagaland levels up security for tourists visiting the nature’s beauty

Nagaland, November 27: Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday launched the Tourist Police (TP) expected to play a crucial role in the forthcoming Hornbill and expressed optimism that the personnel will become the new ambassadors of Nagaland as the first point contact in case of any emergency.

 

The Chief Minister directed the TP personnel to help tourists in distress and maintain good manners, etiquette and behaviour and remaining humble at all times. CM Rio lauded Tourism and Police department for coming forward to render public service through the joint venture. Nagaland today was growing out of that negative perception and known for many other good things besides being the land of festival and peace.

Deploying the tourist personnel would help the state in addressing the issues of the visitors and also help eradicate the negative impact if any. The Chief Minister also suggested that trained TP personnel should be deployed at mini hornbill festivals so that they could train the local police and in turn lead to more awareness among the police about becoming tourist-friendly to make visitors feel safe while visiting the State.

The chief minister mentioned that the tourist could visit in groups and go for trekking to different locations that may not necessarily be designated as tourist spots but TP should deal with them in a friendly manner.

Mentioning that foreign embassies in India issued travel advisories to their domestic tourists after studying the situation of a particular area, the chief minister remarked that for long even people from mainland India did not feel safe to come to Nagaland due to the unresolved Naga political issue and imposition of AFSPA.

He reiterated his government’s commitment to facilitate resolving the vexed issue.

CM Rio spoke about Nagaland being different and unique and for which the Government of India recognised their unique history and granted special provisions under Article 371 (A) of the Indian constitution. He said it was the duty of the Nagas to preserve their culture, tradition, history, food habits and identity.

He also thanked the government of India for recognising Nagaland as the best State in maintaining law & order. He also said Nagaland was declared as the land of festivals because of the popularity these festivals had gained across the globe and assured to continue encouraging holding of tribal festivals.

On the occasion, Rio released the Tourist Police Handbook and launched Nagaland Police FIR Mobile App. Rio also flagged off the tourist police vehicle and inaugurated the integrated control room. Addressing the gathering, deputy chief minister Y Patton acknowledged the Tourism department for helping Nagaland join a few other States in the country to have a separate TP force. He said creation of a specialised TP force would not only help in protection of tourists, but also enhance the appeal of Nagaland as a favoured tourist destination.

Stressing that safety and security were vital components in tourism, he remarked that success or failure of a tourist destination depended on being able to provide a safe and secure environment to the visitors.

Patton appealed to the TP personnel to identify their areas for deployment for providing safety and security to tourists. He called for deploying TP at railways station, airport, check gates, bus stands, etc, the key point of entries where tourists were most susceptible to being cheated or harassed. He suggested setting up of a dedicated round-the-clock integrated control room, besides a grievance redressal mechanism, that would go a long way in promoting tourism in the State.