Says neglect of municipal roads despite regular tax collections is harming businesses and citizens
DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 30 (MExN): The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industries (DCCI) on Tuesday highlighted the deplorable condition of roads within the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) jurisdiction, stating that the deterioration is severely hampering day-to-day business operations and causing immense inconvenience to the public.
In a statement issued by its Media Cell, DCCI said that as the commercial hub of Nagaland, Dimapur’s smooth road connectivity is essential for trade, transport, and overall economic activity. Despite regular collection of various taxes and fees including parking fees, trade license fees, market tolls, sanitation charges, advertisement tax, and commercial vehicle levies, there has been no visible maintenance or improvement of road infrastructure.
The chamber said the negligence of DMC in carrying out its basic responsibilities has impacted business efficiency, customer footfall, and timely delivery of goods and services.
Referring to the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, the DCCI pointed out that Section 124 empowers the Municipal Council to levy taxes such as tolls, sanitation fees, advertisement tax, vehicle and animal tax, utility charges, and license fees.
Section 90 mandates that the Municipal Fund, raised through such collections, must be applied towards obligatory civic duties imposed by law. Section 61 explicitly lists maintenance of public roads as an obligatory function of every Municipal Council.
“Despite this statutory framework, there has been a glaring failure on the part of DMC to fulfill its obligatory duty of road repair and maintenance, leading to a direct violation of the mandate of the Act,” the chamber said.
DCCI also urged the municipal authorities to urgently reform the parking tax structure, noting that currently the parking tax at New Market is Rs 20 per day, whereas in other areas of the city it is Rs 20 for two hours, and called for a uniform system to ease the financial burden on citizens.
The chamber further requested the DMC CEO and Chairman to utilise regular and paid employees for day-to-day operations. It noted that the DCCI’s Grievances Cell has received numerous complaints about the resurgence of syndicate practices due to outsiders working in DMC’s designated workplaces. Empowering regular employees, it said, would help address this issue. The DCCI also recalled that the state government has abolished the lease system for Municipal and Town Councils.
It stated that continued disregard for road maintenance and lack of accountability in utilising funds collected from the public reflect poorly on the functioning of DMC and have created deep frustration among the trading community and general citizens.
