DIMAPUR, MARCH 26 (MExN): The Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has urged the Nagaland Government to listen to the “voices of the people of the State” with regard to the Nagaland Municipal Act; address the demands of the Nagaland Tribes Apex Hohos and Civil Societies; and “give necessary ratifications so as to erase every detrimental provision from the Act.”
A press release from the media cell of the NTC informed that it held an Executive and Advisors’ meeting on March 25 and deliberated on the ongoing imbroglio of the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 as amended up to 2016.
While acknowledging that Nagaland “cannot remain pampered indefinitely,” the NTC said that the people of Nagaland need to train how to pay due tax to public exchequer “as much as we expect amenities to be provided by the established government.”
On the other hand, it pointed out that Article 371 A of the Constitution of India provides special legal status to the State of Nagaland to enact its own congenial laws in consonance to Naga customs and traditions.
As such, it argued that Nagaland does not need to copycat Municipal Laws framed and used by those municipalities having no such political and legal status “as ours.” “It is therefore imperative that Sect 120 (1) (a) contentious land and building taxes in the photocopied Municipal Acts be reviewed and reframed according to our local and traditional conveniences through repeal,” the NTC said.
It further termed it unadvisable for the government to use vocabularies such as “omission” and “deletion” in its attempt for pacification.
The NTC pointed out that the “overlapping reservation vide Section 23B of the aforesaid Act is against the spirit of democracy.”
It further quoted Section 23B of the Act which deals with reservation of offices of Chairpersons in municipalities for SCs, STs, and women. “The offices of the Chairpersons shall be reserved for (Scheduled Castes, is shown omitted by the third Amendment Act 2016), the Scheduled Tribes and Women, as nearly as may be, in proportion to the number of seats reserved for them in the municipalities and allotment of such offices shall be made by rotation,” the NTC said in reference to this section.
The NTC said there is indication that women reservation for Chairpersons is “reservation upon reservation.” “When 33% women reservation is allowed with much apprehension on demerits, to keep the Chairperson's post reserved as reservation upon reservation is irrational and unpractical,” it argued.
Further, it stated that Nagaland is a Scheduled Tribe State; and there is no provision of Scheduled Caste tribe in the State of Nagaland; “hence the very word ‘Scheduled Caste’ be completely removed from the aforesaid Act through Legislation.”
