“Mokokchung is doing very well,” Rio says, as disparities emerge across councils
With questions emerging over how Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in Nagaland sustain their operations, Advisor for Urban and Municipal Affairs Zhaleo Rio has stressed that municipal councils must rely primarily on their own revenue generation rather than government support.
“ULBs main source should be ‘revenue generation’. If state government resources is good, we give them grant-in-aid too. From central government under 15 Finance Commission, they are given grant in aids. But I agree, their main source should be from their own ULB revenue generation,” Rio told reporters.
His remarks come amid concerns over recurring financial strain in some of the state’s municipal bodies, particularly the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and Kohima Municipal Council (KMC), where issues related to non-payment of salaries to their employees have been raised.
Addressing the matter, Rio said that both councils had approached the government before the elections seeking a one-time grant to clear pending salaries. “Before the election, KMC and DMC wrote to government asking for one time grant to clear their employee salary. Govt gave them one time grant to clear the salaries of the councillors,” he stated.
According to the Advisor, the government reportedly released around Rs 5 crore to DMC and “a little over Rs 3 crore” to KMC to clear dues. However, he noted that the issue has resurfaced within a short span.
“Within few months, they are coming with the same problem. This government cannot tolerate this,” Rio said, indicating concern over the recurrence of financial distress despite substantial assistance.
While highlighting variations among ULBs, Rio remarked that outcomes often depend on management practices. “In the case of DMC, Kohima & Mokokchung municipal council… Mokokchung is doing very well. I said in the meeting. It is how they manage. There should be transparency and accountability. So, once this is effectively done, there should not be any deficit,” he said.
On the ground, sources indicated that the Mokokchung Municipal Council (MMC) has, so far, not reported similar salary-related concerns, with employees being paid regularly both before and after the recent municipal elections. It was also learnt that while MMC received a one-time grant after the elections, it was for office renovation.
“MMC has about 70 employees. So far, we have been able to manage paying all the employees in time. This was possible even before the election,” the source added.
Rio further noted that several ULBs across the state continue to face challenges. “There are different kind of ULBs. There are about 15 to 16 ULBs that are not as effective. It is understandable because if there’s no shop, there’s no revenue but if Dimapur, Mokokchung and Kohima Municipal Council cannot survive, definitely, there is something going on,” he said.
He added that apart from grants from the state and central governments, councils must actively pursue “good revenue generation drive” to remain financially viable.
