Two back to back decisions taken by the State government, one on the question of illegal collection and the second on encroachment of government owned lands and property, comes as a breath of fresh air. For many years now, the credibility of the State machinery has come into question because of its inability to deliver when it matters most—enforcing security, peace and order. As elected representatives, there is great expectation that the political executive delivers and solves problems faced by the common people. There is no two opinion that the rampant illegal collection of taxes on all and sundry both by the underground groups, self styled organizations and even government agencies, has been a matter of public concern. We therefore welcome the strong measure announced by the State government to crackdown on all forms of illegal collection. The strong message that it has send out will now have to be backed up by an equally tough enforcement measure. The instruction to various DCs and SPs to ban and dismantle all illegal organization and illegal check gates across Nagaland is clear and unambiguous and hopefully there will be no confusion on the part of those who will be the ones to enforce the decision. The other important directive, whereby departments authorized to collect taxes should do so only through government Treasury Challan and not through payment in cash, is also welcome. This guideline should be strictly complied with as it will solve a lot of problems including putting an effective check on illegal collection on the ground. The State government should also be prepared to prosecute those department/s found collecting in cash and thereby send the signal that the government will ensure zero tolerance on any form of illegality. The public on their part must now come out in full support of this brave decision taken by the government. They (including the media) should remain vigilant and be willing to report any form of collusion or letdown when it comes to implementing the above decision.
The other issue, where the state government’s decision needs to be lauded, is in on the resolve to protect all forms of government-common property from the hands of encroachers, irrespective of tribe, community or groups. Similarly this brave decision will remain merely sloganeering if effective measures are not adopted to tackle the situation on the ground. One should nevertheless welcome the initiative of the Chief Minister to call for collective responsibility from Nagas across the State. This has allowed for coming together of major stakeholders and sharing their wisdom and opinion on some of the vital issues facing the State. That the government could take an unambiguous stand stemmed from this broad based support. As far as Intangki National Park is concerned, there is a general consensus that the common property of the Nagas must be preserved and that all encroachers within Intangki should voluntarily vacate their settlements before action is initiated to evict them. The State government should however come out with a more concrete action plan on relief and rehabilitation measure. The latest decision of the State government and the resolve it has finally shown is better late than never. However, whether it is the decision on illegal collection or encroachment of common property, it is highly important that both these welcome decisions taken by the State government is properly enforced because at the end of the day, it is the end result and not the decision itself, which will decide whether this government is in authority. Otherwise, it will be left hugely embarrassed with the prospect of being termed a lame duck government.
