Vero Zhimo
Amidst the buzz surrounding the first Nagaland Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) & Investment Conclave, an announcement made by the state’s Minister for Planning & Coordination, Land Revenue & Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba Kronu stands out.
Addressing the valedictory session of the two-day Conclave, Kronu announced that, “We (Government of Nagaland) are bringing new land laws because what we were using earlier is too old.” The draft is ready and the bill, he said, would be passed in the coming assembly session—the 12th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly which has been convened on September 20.
The Minister explained that the landholding system in the state ‘is a little bit different’ as in, “the land belongs to the village and the community.”
In the context of the new land laws, Kronu dwelt on the scope of unexplored resources in the state— petroleum, coal, limestone and other resources, inviting corporate and investors to push their resources in the state.
In the past too, the state Government has toed a similar narrative of how the traditional landholding system in the state has hampered or slowed down development activities, or how it has prevented investors from coming to Nagaland as social clearance is required for all Foreign Direct Investment and Externally Aided Projects.
Earlier in September 2021, saying that the land issue is “a very delicate matter” as it pertains to Article 371(A), a special constitutional provision which is almost synonymous with all land related issues within the State, Kronu had maintained that the draft would be thoroughly examined.
He revealed that under the new land laws, even if land is mortgaged to a funding agency, the agency would not be allowed to sell it to ‘outsiders.’ “I think this way, we are protected,” he said at the time.
Nevertheless, going by what the government has been stating over the years, the new land laws have been formulated with the intention of broadening the state and its citizens’ economic horizons. However, in introducing this new legislation, without sounding too pessimistic, it is pertinent to point out that such attempts in the past have not bode well with the people on many occasions. The Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 is one example.
In the case of the land laws, while little is known about whether the government has made ample consultations with ‘stakeholders,’ it is assumed that the due consideration has been taken to ensure that the new laws are not so far removed from traditional rights and customs that it would cause serious repercussions and social unrest.
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