Kohima, 9 November (MTNews): The third session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Nagaland Municipal Bill 2023 by a voice vote. The bill, presented by Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang, received unanimous support from the elected members after thorough deliberation.
Leader of the House and Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio moved the Bill for consideration and passing.
The key provisions in the bill as read by CM Rio includes: exclusion of provisions related to taxes, land, and buildings; retaining the Supreme Court-directed 33% reservation for women in Urban Local Bodies (ULBs); Excluding the earlier provision of one-third reservation for women as chairpersons in ULBs; Allowing elected bodies of Municipal or Town Councils to decide on taxes or fees in their own jurisdiction.
The new bill also recommends that only indigenous inhabitants of the state are eligible for Municipal or Town Council membership. The bill will be periodically reviewed every 10 years, as suggested by Civil Society Organizations.
Deputy Chief Minister TR Zeliang expressed his support for the bill, highlighting the importance of empowering women through the 33% reservation. He urged women to support the bill and emphasized its significance for the overall development of towns and the state.
Members of various political parties, including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), JDU, BJP Legislature Party, NPP, and others, participated in the discussion, expressing their support for the bill. They praised its role in achieving gender equality and creating an inclusive society.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, in his concluding remarks, underscored the importance of women’s participation in urban local bodies’ administration. He expressed optimism that the Nagaland Municipal Bill 2023 would lead to better administration, development, organization, cleanliness, and beauty in cities and towns. Rio expressed gratitude to all members who actively participated in the discussions and shared their views on the bill.
Earlier, the emergent session commenced with Nagaland Legislative Assembly secretary-in-charge reporting the assent of Governor La Ganesan to The Nagaland Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and The Nagaland Passenger and Goods Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2023.