The monthly meeting of the District Planning and Development Board (DPDB), Wokha was held at the Deputy Commissioner’s Conference Hall, Wokha on 24th February 2026, chaired by Deputy Commissioner and Vice Chairman DPDB, Vineet Kumar, IAS, with MLA and Chairman of the Bhandari Sub-division Planning and Development Board, Achumbemo Kikon, present along with officers and Heads of Departments from across the district. The meeting began with a review of the previous month’s agendas before moving into detailed discussions on key issues and new initiatives.
The house deliberated on the drying up of Etsutchukha, the only perennial water source in the heart of Wokha town. Officials from the PHED Department, Forest Department, and Wokha Town Council presented their assessments, identifying borewell drilling around the pond as a major cause of depletion. The Town Council has already issued a ban on drilling new borewells and deepening existing ones. MLA Achumbemo Kikon took serious note of the matter and suggested immediate revival measures, including plantation drives in Mount Tiyi. He urged the Forest Department to take responsibility for afforestation and proposed that each Town Councillor care for at least 20 trees to ensure meaningful results. He also requested the Nagaland Ground Water Board to provide assistance and interventions for the revival of the water source, while calling for stricter regulation of unregulated groundwater extraction in the town area.
The meeting also passed a resolution for the construction of a new district hospital, with plans to upgrade it to an urban hospital and include a nursing college. Medical Superintendent Wokha, Dr. N. Mhonchan Kithan highlighted that the hospital began as a 4-bedded facility in 1876 under the Civil Surgeon Mokokchung and was upgraded to 50 beds in 1969. However, facilities remain inadequate, with overcrowding during peak seasons and no staff quarters. Encroachment has reduced the hospital’s land from 50–60 acres to just 6–7 acres, further compounding the challenges.
MLA Achumbemo also raised concerns about geotagging and mapping, which showed several Lotha villages under Assam, stressing its seriousness and potential impact on census operations. He further noted ongoing efforts to minimize human-elephant conflicts, with both issues adopted as resolutions during the meeting.
Another highlight was the launch of the AI-powered Citizens SEWA Chatbot, a multi-channel digital interface serving as a single gateway to district government services. Designed to simplify governance, the chatbot offers information services, emergency support, grievance redressal, and access to over 43 government programmes including CMMFI, PM Vishwakarma, and PM-KISAN. It also provides location-based services for PHCs, Anganwadis, and BLO information. The chatbot is available via WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, the Wokha Web Portal, and SMS service. Wokha is set to become Nagaland’s pioneering model for digital governance under Phase-II expansion.
District Programme Officer, District AIDS Prevention and Control Unit Wokha, Lichumo Odyuo, reported that detection rates have risen to 26% compared to 24% in previous years. Pamphlets on “Drug Abuse in the Workplace” were distributed. Officials from the Economics and Statistics Department delivered a departmental presentation highlighting key data and initiatives.
The February DPDB meeting reflected Wokha’s commitment to addressing critical issues such as water scarcity, healthcare infrastructure, boundary mapping, and wildlife conflict mitigation, while also embracing digital innovation to make governance more accessible to citizens.
(DPRO and IA, Wokha)
