Kuda council moves to tighten control over land deals

DIMAPUR — The Kuda Village Council in Dimapur has moved to tighten oversight of land transactions within its jurisdiction, asserting that plots cannot be transferred to non-indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland and proposing a system to record mortgages and other charges against properties.

In a communication to the Dimapur deputy commissioner, the council stated that it would exercise its powers under Section 15(g) of the Nagaland Village and Tribal Councils Act, 1978, to oversee transfers of immovable property and maintain records of such transactions.

The move, it said, was also aimed at preventing land fraud, including cases in which the same plot was allegedly mortgaged to multiple people or sold to different buyers.

The council maintained that it was not opposed to property owners mortgaging their land but wanted them to register any charge created against their properties with it. The proposed system, it argued, would help authorities, including the judiciary, deal with fraud and protect unsuspecting buyers and lenders.

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Kuda, formerly known as Nagarjan, was established in 1941. The council described it as the first Naga village established on the outskirts of Dimapur town.

To support its position on land transfers, the council cited the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, the Assam Land Revenue Regulation, 1886, and state legislation governing land in Nagaland. It also referred to a November 21, 1979, notification declaring Dimapur a tribal belt, stating that Kuda fell within the notified area.

The council maintained that the restrictions barred the transfer of land within its jurisdiction to people who were not indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland.