DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 22 (MExN): The Pochury Baptist Church Council (PBCC) has called for implementation of the NLTP Act in letter and spirit. A press release from the PBCC took exception to the demand made by a section of civil society in Dimapur to the Governor of Nagaland to lift the NLTP Act. It noted that the NLTP Act was passed “in response to the voice of the people, spearheaded by the Church and Mother’s Association.” “However, all through these years, it has never been sincerely implemented. What is disturbing is that the onus for this failure is fixed on the church. On issues of social concern, the Church has its own role to play to the extent that it can instruct its members to remain law abiding citizens of the land, but it is not a law enforcing agency. The government has got all necessary competencies to monitor and implement the Act,” it stated.
The PBCC said that in the event that the Act is lifted, “the scale of damage it will cause to the individual, family and society in our towns and villages will be terrible.” “An honest assessment of the aftermath is plain that the devastating effect of lifting the Act outweighs far beyond the monetary benefit it will bring to the government’s coffer,” it argued.
The PBCC urged the government to “brace up the Act and make maximum use of all the available resources to ensure that the Act is implemented in letter and in spirit.” It hoped that the legislators who represent the people of their respective constituencies will “understand the sanctity of their seats and accordingly serve the interest of the people.”
