- KOHIMA — Nagaland government on Monday issued a
directive prohibiting all the municipal and town councils across the state from
issuing restrictive trade permits.
- The government’s restriction comes in response to complaints
received from NGOs with regard to issue of exclusive permits by the municipal
and town councils for supply of goods and services to a single entity.
- Earlier, the Business Association of Nagas and the
Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) had flagged unfair trade
practices carried out by the local municipal bodies and called out the
government’s inaction on the same.
Related: Business Association of Nagas slams government inaction on unfair trade practices, threatens legal action
- In a letter addressed to all the CEOs/EOs/administrators of
the urban local bodies, T Nchumbemo Odyuo, Additional Secretary to the
government of Nagaland, directed all the ULBs to advocate free and fair-trade
practices and endeavour to provide credible municipal governance and best
municipal practices by way of providing fair opportunity and equal platform for
all public to carry out their trade and business in a peaceful manner.
- In addition, the ULBs were directed to immediately introduce
remedial measures to curtail and obviate such practices. The ULBs should
refrain from any practices encouraging exclusive permit system for supply of
goods and services to a single entity in any manner, it stated.
- In the event of such cases being in operation or poised for
operation, ULBs should take immediate action to review and withdraw such
tenders, orders and permits, causing or likely to cause restrictive trade
practices, the letter added.
- “Any such act committed at any hierarchy of the ULBs thereby
causing such restrictive trade practices should be viewed seriously and should
have the same connotation as defined in Section 2 (41) (i) & (ii) of the
Consumer Protection Act 2019.
