Kohima: Peren Deputy Commissioner Hiazu Meru sounded the alarm on local environmental decay and a surge in substance abuse during the Zeliang Students Union Nagaland literary event on August 21. Meru challenged the region's green reputation, citing massive logging as the primary culprit. He specifically called for strict enforcement of the Nagaland Tree Felling Regulation Rules, 2002. Forests are dying. He also pointed to illegal riverbed extraction, insisting that Article 371A should not be treated as a loophole to evade the Nagaland Minor Mineral Concession Rules, 2004.
Substance abuse remains a severe threat to local students. Official data records 744 cases in the district, though the real number is likely higher. Meru blamed peer pressure, trauma, and easy access for the crisis. He warned students living in rented housing to pick their friends carefully. “Hard work, honesty, discipline, commitment and integrity, he said, remained timeless values.”
Economic dependence on the state remains another hurdle. Using 2011 Census and Personnel Information Management System data, Meru noted that Nagaland hosts 1,23,392 government employees from a population of 19,78,502. The Zeliang tribe holds only 3,223 of those slots. He urged students to look beyond government work and aim for policy-making roles. Meanwhile, Peren Government College is pushing for NAAC accreditation.
The event at the Peren Town Hall drew 100 students from 21 schools. ZLSU president Roland Zeliang and District Education Officer Limadangit Jamir also spoke. Competition winners included essay writers Mesanthu Mbung, Ichetwangbe, and Keyisuile Thou. Speech winners were Kangzangheing, Keheikangyile, Aien Siang, Sangjemwati Jamir, Lakhon Lyndoh, and Sanal Debarma.
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