MokokchungTimes.com
The Confederation of Nagaland Chamber of Commerce & Industry (CNCCI) has welcomed the February 23 order by the Department of Municipal Affairs directing all Municipal and Town Councils to immediately stop collecting tolls, urban utility taxes, vehicle entry fees, and other levies.
While appreciating the move, the CNCCI stressed that past experiences make it cautious. The chamber highlighted repeated failures by Municipal and Town Councils to enforce similar orders issued in 2021 and 2022, despite strong Government directives.
“This is not the first time such orders have been issued,” said the CNCCI in a statement. “Previous directives, including the 16th November 2021 order banning taxes on GST-covered goods and the Home Department’s 19th May 2022 order prohibiting illegal collections, were repeatedly ignored by some councils and even certain Government departments.”
CNCCI recalled its all-Nagaland shutter-down agitations, which forced the Government to constitute a Committee under Deputy Chief Minister Yanthungo Patton and issue strict orders against illegal check gates and arbitrary collections. Temporary relief followed, but violations resurfaced, undermining public confidence in governance.
The CNCCI warned that any attempt to revive illegal tolls or fees would be met with strong opposition. “The Confederation will not hesitate to take democratic action, including going to the streets, to safeguard consumers, the market system, and the business community at any cost,” he said.
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The chamber has urged the State Government to ensure strict, visible, and time-bound enforcement of both the 2021 and 2022 orders. CNCCI also called on the Home Department to implement its directives in letter and spirit, emphasizing that governance must be consistent, not just declarative.
“The time has come for consistency in governance. Orders must not only be issued, they must be enforced,” the CNCCI stated, adding, “Only through firm implementation can public trust be restored and future governance failures prevented in the State.”