DIMAPUR — Citing
the lack of transparency and development, the Dimapur Urban Council Chairman
Federation (DUCCF) has announced that they will be filing Right to Information
(RTI) applications against Dimapur Municipal Council and Urban Development
department.
Addressing a press conference at Duncan Bosti community hall
on Wednesday, the president of DUCCF, Zasivikho Zakiesato, stated that while
the DMC employs more than 400 employees people, only 200 of them come to work
in the office.
He described this scenario as a great concern for the people
of Dimapur. “It is our right to find out the truth of what is happening in the
department,” he said.
According to the DUCCF chairmen, his counterparts were aware
that there is no development taking place in their respective localities under
Urban Development department. This failure to deliver development has prompted
the federation to file an RTI ‘to try and find out what are the works that are
going to take place,’ he said.
Stiff residential sanitation fee
The president informed that the DUCCF had a meeting with the
DMC and GBs together with regard to sanitation fee. They were reportedly
informed that the DMC spends INR 14-15 lakh alone on fuel expenditure for
tractors and dumper trucks.
He informed that they have decided to go for further
consultations to determine whether the current RSF ‘is suitable.’ According to
him, the DMC has raised the residential sanitation fee to INR 100 from the
previous rate of INR 60.
As per the federation’s estimation, he said, the current
rate is too high. He claimed that the DUCCF had received complaints from
various colonies that ‘sanitation vehicle has also become very irregular’ after
the installation of the new DMC.
Further commenting on the viral photo of DMC collecting INR
300 from shopkeepers for ‘Christmas star,’ the president said that the
authorities should ‘change the rate.’
On the issue of NLTP Act, the DUCCF lamented that the state
cabinet has failed to take any conclusive decision till date. The federation demanded
that Nagaland government provide concrete answers: whether to lift it or
implement it strictly.
Zakiesato reminded that the DUCCF has submitted a resolution
to the government seeking the lifting of NLTP Act.
Further, the DUCCF expressed support to the All Kohima
Municipal Ward Panchayat and the All Ward Union Mokokchung Town in connection
with their opposition to the cabinet decision on July 11, 2024 regarding the
issue of ward chairmen and GBs who are working as councillors.
