Our Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 1 (EMN): The Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) Employees’ Welfare Union has decided to extend its ultimatum for the release of three months’ salary to October 10 at an emergency executive body meeting held on Friday.
The president of the union, T Revo Anar, told the media on Saturday that the house had unanimously decided to go ahead with the "no pay no work" agitation from October 11 onwards if their demand is not fulfilled by October 10.
The union had on September 12 served an ultimatum to the DMC administrator to release their salaries within 10 days and also organised a poster campaign at the DMC premises.
Anar said the union decided to extend its ultimatum after the Dimapur-based civil societies met its members on September 16 and assured to take the matter to the highest level.
He said the Dimapur-based civil societies namely Naga Council Dimapur, Dimapur Urban Council Chairman Federation, Dimapur Sadar G.B. Union, Dimapur Naga Women Hoho and Dimapur Naga Students’ Union had made an appeal to the chief secretary of Nagaland during a meeting on September 28 in Kohima to discuss matters pertaining to the affairs of town councils and municipal councils in the state and the DMC to solve the issue as earlier as possible.
He added that the CSOs had also mentioned in a letter to the chief secretary about the town councils and the municipal councils in the state not getting central fund meant for the ULBS as no election has been held for the same for over a decade.
The urban local bodies in the state were meeting its expenses and undertaking developmental activities through revenue generated from toll taxes, house rent, sanitary tax etc. as per the provisions of the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2001 but it run into financial crunch when the state government ordered the banning of toll collection at check-posts in May this year, read the letter.
As a result, the DMC, which could not even make pay salaries of staff since July due to paucity of fund, halted all developmental activities, it stated, adding that the council will collapse totally if it is not bailed out.
Unlike ULBs in other parts of the country, there is no property tax in DMC jurisdiction as well as no fund allocation from the Centre, thus making it impossible to run the civic body which renders services to the citizens, it continued.
While maintaining that the employees can’t continue working without being paid, it said the Dimapur Municipal area will be garbage-ridden, which will cause inconvenience to the residents, commuters and visitors besides health hazard.