System over structure

Dimapur, once a thriving commercial hub and one of the fastest-growing cosmopolitan cities in the northeast, has seen its potential thwarted by the rise of extortion and systemic corruption since the mid-1990s. What was once a bustling marketplace, frequented by shoppers from nearby regions such as Jorhat and Karbi Anglong, began to unravel as gun-toting elements and anti-social elements took root, turning extortion into a booming, albeit illegal, cottage industry. Hundreds of associations, unions, and political factions, are levying taxes at multiple stages, creating an unbearable financial burden on trade and community. Some have taken advantage by forming market mafia syndicates to exert monopoly control over what items are to be sold and at what rates. Even transporters chose to unload goods at Khatkhati or Bokajan and not at Dimapur, to avoid being hounded for exorbitant illegal taxes. The taxation continues even after entering Dimapur at various godowns and onwards to retail outlets. The local economy, fuelled by small-scale entrepreneurs and a burgeoning trade environment, has come under siege, with parallel authorities, syndicates and unions eroding its foundational integrity. These have wreaked havoc on Dimapur’s economy leading to flight of business to nearby Karbi Anglong. The picture is bleak as the rampant taxation is compounded by the lack of basic infrastructure, further exacerbating the city’s social and economic woes. Dimapur has no proper drainage and lacks sewerage system while garbage collection and disposal is inefficient and not to speak of ;lack of sewerage system. The city’s roads are perpetually congested, made worse by haphazard roadside parking. To alleviate the traffic chaos, the city urgently needs multi-level public parking structures. At the heart of Dimapur’s challenges lies a failure of governance. To restore Dimapur’s commercial prominence, the government must refocus on the much need to improve air and rail connectivity to and from Dimapur. The present Dimapur airport is probably living on borrowed time because the runway level, which is several feet below the NH 29, invites waterlogging. It is also only 7500 feet in length which cannot facilitate landing of bigger commercial jets. An alternative site is available within Chümoukedima district having over 10,000 feet in length. The location ensures that planes descend without circling overhead thereby saving thousands of aviation fuel. Even the Dimapur railway station needs firm resolve to evict settlers/ encroachers to lay double-track for movement of trains. These are part and parcel for infrastructural development of Dimapur and Nagaland. Within Dimapur, there must be clear delineation of who has the authority to impose taxes, under what legal frameworks, and on what items. The current practice of multiple, unchecked taxations must end. The authorities must ensure that no organisation or syndicate etc is allowed to tax or fix rates so as to end the city’s instability. On the other hand, the demand for improving infrastructure will not solve Dimapur’s deeper issues. The root cause of the city’s stagnation lies in systemic failures. Without reforming the mechanisms of governance to enforce laws, any attempt at development will be short-lived. True progress will only be possible when the system, not just the structures, is reformed and rebuilt to support a functioning, thriving economy.