KOHIMA — The Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) has announced
the implementation of new regulations within its jurisdiction, including labour
registration, new market rates, and sanitation.
Under the new regulations, Kohima residents will also have
to pay service tax in the near future.
A few months after taking charge of the office, KMC Deputy
Chairman Khrielievi Chusi and Councillor Kazheli Tungoe addressed a press conference
on Saturday, unveiling the plans ahead.
Nagas are "allergic" to the word tax, but citizens
must pay for services they use, Chusi said.
The state is far behind when it comes to urbanisation, and
to catch up with the rest of the world, it needs to generate its own revenue,
he added.
Noting that the only source of revenue generation for KMC is
via trade license, he said the council cannot provide good street lights, good
roads, and sanitation solely from the revenue it gets from trade license.
For the first time, the KMC will begin registration of
labourers/porters within Kohima.
Chusi said the new regulation is designed to protect the
citizens from suffering ‘any untoward incidents at the hands of labourers’,
while citing "unofficial complaints" from several residents.
The registration will commence on December 2, and uniforms
will be distributed on December 10. Every registered labourer will have a token
number. Nominal charges will be levied for registration, which will last for a
year.
The KMC also informed that the market rate on various items
and products will be out for public consumption after Christmas.
He pointed out many items, from the source till MRP, are
benefitting up to INR 100 per kg. As businesses, there should be profit, but
random taxing on the public cannot be allowed, he asserted.
Upon introduction of the new market rate, many items will be
below or cheaper than the Dimapur rate, he said, adding the council will
penalise those who fail to comply with the new chart.
The KMC also plans to strengthen the imposition of fines and
penalties on those flouting municipal guidelines and sanitation rules in town.
All property owners and shopkeepers have been directed to
keep a bin outside their shop and clean their immediate surroundings. Flouting
these guidelines will invite penalty under Section 141 of the Nagaland
Municipal Act 2023, he warned.
Improper disposal of waste will attract a fine of INR 2000;
littering and non-segregation of waste come with a penalty of INR 1000; absence
of a proper waste bin will cost INR 500; and unauthorised burning of waste will
mean a fine of INR 5000.
