Demands Govt of Nagaland to declare CGWA public notice null and void
AWUMT directs Mokokchung town residents not to honor CGWA public notice
Mokokchung, August 22 (MTNews): The All Ward Union Mokokchung Town (AWUMT) has stated that the recent Public Notice issued by the Chairman, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India is in “total contravention of traditional Naga customary procedures, social practices and ownership of land and its resources, and that it directly infringes upon the constitutional provisions of Article 371 (A) that safeguards the Naga way of life.”
As such, AWUMT has demanded the Government of Nagaland to declare the public notice” unconstitutional and, therefore, null and void.”
AWUMT in a press release on Monday stated that it has been the longstanding demand of the Dimapur Urban Council Chairmen Federation (DUCCF), Association of Kohima Municipal Wards Panchayat (AKMWP), the AWUMT, and Naga civil society organizations to review and amend the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 by deleting various sections of the Act that infringes upon the constitutional rights of the Naga people as enshrined in Article 371(A).
“At this instance, AWUMT would like to point out that Sections 215 – 220 of the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001 pertaining to tube wells, wells, springs and other water-course infringes upon Article 371 (A) of the Constitution,” it pointed out.
Meanwhile, AWUMT also directed all the residents of Mokokchung Town “not to honor the Public Notice issued by the Central Ground Water Authority as it is against Article 371 (A) of the Constitution.”
It may be mentioned that the CGWA, under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, issued a public notice recently, stating that all groundwater users are required to take permission from CGWA for groundwater withdrawal by September 30, 2022.
“Failure to do so shall be treated as illegal abstraction and strict penal action shall be initiated against offenders as per prescribed rules and Environment (Protection) Act,” the CGWA public notice read, a copy of which was made available to the press by AWUMT.