Nagaland Voluntary Consumers’ Organisation (NVCO) has urged the State government, particularly the district administrations of Kohima and Dimapur, to check illegal collection of cash at check-gates, including at Phesama check-gate where Nagaland Police were indulging in illegal collection.
Alleging that some local youths were also still collecting cash at Phesama check-gate in the name of “SAPO local tax”, NVCO president Kezhokhoto Savi expressed regret that despite a standing order of the chief secretary of June 22, 2009 clearly mentioning that the State government had decided that henceforth no collection of taxes/cash would be made by any organisation or individual, including government departments like the Police, Excise, Forest and Taxes departments, some departments were still collecting cash at the check-gates and on highways.
It claimed that some truck owners had told NVCO verbally that on the night of October 5, some police personnel and local youth had allegedly collected cash from trucks carrying empty cartoon and waste papers, including two trucks at the Phesama check-gate.
NVCO said that the Southern Angami Public Organisation (SAPO) had officially written to the chief secretary on September 30 last informing that the governing body consisting of 13 villages had unanimously decided to discontinue SAPO local tax at Phesama check-gate in the interest of the public with effect from October 1, 2021.
While pointing out that such illegal collections at the check-gates had been going on for the past several decades, NVCO said that as long as the authorities continue collecting money, how could they stop other organisations from doing the same.
NVCO has therefore urged the state government to effectively implement the government standing order of June 6, 2009 so as to completely stop collection of cash at the check-gates and on highways.