DIMAPUR, NOVERMBER 2 (MExN): The Naga Council Dimapur (NCD) today registered its protest against the government’s move towards the appointment of an Advisory committee to the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC).
In a letter to the Nagaland State Chief Minister, TR Zeliang, the NCD Vice President (admin), K Ghokheto Chopy and General Secretary, Thsapongkyu Sangtam expressed protest on behalf of Dimapur based mass civil society organizations such as GB’s (Sadar) Union, Naga Women Hoho Dimapur (NWHD) and the Dimapur Urban Colony Council Federation (DUCCF).
The NCD claimed that the present system of functioning in the DMC under the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) as administrative head “shows how smoothly the municipal office is functioning with its competent support staff.” “The denizens of Dimapur are a witness to the tremendous development and improvement that has taken place under this system,” it stated.
The NCD viewed the recent move by the state government under the Municipal Affairs Department to constitute an Advisory Committee to assist the administration in the functioning of the municipal council as an “apparent design to invite gross mismanagement and irregularities once again leading to exhaustion of crores of public funds without any sign of developmental activities as witnessed in the past.”
It noted that section 23(A) of the Municipal Act “contradicts Naga customary system and practices, as specifically granted under Article 371(A) of Indian Constitution.”
Therefore, any provision under the said Act, which is against the legitimate interest of the Naga’s shall be reviewed and without which, Dimapur based mass civil societies collectively reaffirm its stand to oppose the state government constituted Advisory Committee to municipal and town councils in Nagaland, the NCD added. Until the Municipal Act 2001 is reviewed, the public of Dimapur shall not allow the Advisory Committee at any cost, the NCD stated.
It therefore urged the Nagaland CM to intervene in this matter and cancel the Municipal Affairs Department order No.MA-79/2017 dated October 31, 2017 immediately “for the betterment of common cause of Nagas.”
