Kohima: The Nagaland Voluntary Consumers Association (NVCO) has said instead of appealing for partial reconsideration of the blanket ban on tax levied by Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and the Dimapur denizen must come out much stronger to support.
The association in a release has expressed surprise at the appeal made by some of the major Dimapur’s frontal organisations to partially reconsider the “blanket ban on illegal tax levied by DMC” and it also noted that there were many occasions when drivers and handymen were assaulted just for not paying their demands.
It said on many occasions various transport unions and associations had called a chakka jam strike due to so large illegal tax or cash collection.
The release said, “There are several cash collections in the heart of Dimapur town especially nearby train station without any pay-counter … The denizen of the state must not forget that Dimapur is the commercial hub and gateway to Nagaland when it comes to bringing both essential and non-essential commodities, building material, etc, from outside the state.”
It said that the market price of other district headquarters is determined from Dimapur performances and added that there are many genuine reasons ‘not’ to reconsider DMC tax.
It urged the State Government not to reconsider the said blanket order in any circumstances.
It said that doing so would “paralyse all other districts; demoralise the so-called District Inspection Team; violate the State Government earlier standing order and amounts to contempt of the Kohima bench of Gauhati High Court order.”
The release said several associations and various groups, unions and organisations besides police at check-gates and Municipal or Town Councils are all anxiously looking for reconsideration on tax or illegal collection of cash like ‘vulture’ as these illegal tax or cash collections have been practiced for the last several decades.
The NVCO urged the civil societies, tribal Hohos, churches, students, youth and women organisations, associations and business community to remain strong so as not to allow the State Government to reconsider with any case in order to bring completely an ‘end’ to the menace of illegal taxation and cash collection in Nagaland.
