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rise in rice prices as a result of drought, and fear of famine; dismantling of old fort at Khonoma - desire of inhabitants to keep the iron water pipes and tank; conversion of part into a school |
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Tour diary for the month of May, 22. |
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To Khonoma and back. On the way I met a Khonoma Naga going into Kohima to buy rice. He told me that the price in Khonoma had gone up to five seers the rupee, and that even at that price the rich men were not very willing to sell. The Khonoma terraces, usually flooded early in May, are still dry, and everyone is afraid of famine. I hear from the Subdivisional Officer that in the Ao country the richer men are flatly refusing to sell paddy at all and are holding it up for fear of a loss of this year's crop; and still there is no rain. At Khonoma I went to see the vacated fort. There remain two masonry buildings now roofless; a Kacha stone building also roofless; a collection of earthenware pipes; a big iron water tank, and the iron piping used to bring water into the village. The village is very anxious that the piping for their water supply shall remain, also the big iron tank, which they undertake to keep full as a precaution against fire, if it be allowed to remain. As a matter of fact it might be difficult to move it, and it will have to be unrivetted if it is to be moved. The earthenware piping might be sold at Khonoma, where it is likely to find purchasers, and the stone work of the pucca buildings can also be either used on the road or sold. The kacha building I have handed over for conversion into a school and I am putting the whole fort compound in charge of the School Pandit, who can make it into a flower garden. The tank and water pipes I propose to leave as they are on condition that the village keeps the fort wall in repair. Nerhama khel raised the question of restoring their dahu inside the fort, but I fancy a joint dahu by the three khels would give rise to less soreness. |
