Committee to look into toll tax issue; stir in abeyance

In order to resolve the DMC toll tax collection impasse, the state government has constituted a 5-member committee headed by state chief secretary Toshi Aier as chairman and  secretary finance, secretary justice and law, administrator DMC as members as members with secretary Urban Development Department (UDD) as member-secretary.
The committee was formed at a meeting chaired by chief minister T.R.Zeliang on November 24 in response to the demand of the DMC-Employees Welfare Union. It will examine in detail, the matter of toll tax collection by municipal and town councils and other related issues.
The government has also agreed to further extend the lease period of 37 lessees appointed by the Urban Development Department for a month (November 1 to December 31) under the “same terms and conditions”.
Secretary to government of Nagaland, Imjung M Panger in a circular, stated that the extension was necessitated to give opportunity to the committee headed by the chief secretary to look into DMC Employees Welfare Union (DMC-EWU) imbroglio on toll tax collection.
The committee while examining the matter shall also keep in view the assertion of DMC-EWU to collect toll tax with reference to provisions of the Nagaland Municipal Act. 2001 stated a separate notification issued by Panger dated November 27, 2014.
The committee has been asked to submit report and recommendations within a month from the issue of the notification.
 DMC-EWU president Badal Bhadra and general secretary T Revo Anar informed Nagaland Post that union at its meeting Saturday, has decided to keep in abeyance its proposed stir from December 1 till December 31, since the state government has constituted a committee to examine the issue.
DMC-EWU however cautioned that the employees would continue to resume protest if the government failed to respond positively within the stipulated period.