Seeks relook on taxation & reservation issues in Act
DIMAPUR, MARCH 26: Stating that the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 as amended up to 2016 is contentious, the Nagaland Tribes Council (NTC) has sought a relook on taxation and reservation issues in the Nagaland Municipal Act.
In a press release, NTC reminded 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 its customs and traditions.
“As such, Nagaland does not need to copycat such 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. It is also unadvisable for the govt of the day to use the vocabularies as “omission” and “deletion” in its attempt for pacification. Besides every law and its necessary amendment is enacted by the Legislative Assembly alone but not by rhetoric”, it stated.
The NTC also pointed out that the overlapping reservation vide Section 23B of the Act is against the spirit of democracy. Section 23B states: “The offices of the chairpersons shall be reserved for the (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.”
According to NTC, on the basis of this Section 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 maintained, adding since Nagaland is a Scheduled Tribe State and there is no provision of Scheduled Caste tribe in the State of Nagaland, the very word ‘Scheduled Caste’ be completely removed from the Act through legislation.
The NTC urged the State Government to listen to the voices of the people and 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.
(Page News Service)
