Dimapur: The Committee on Urban Local Bodies and Nagaland Village Councils vis-à-vis the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, and the Nagaland Village and Tribal Council Act, 1978, as amended up to 2022, conducted a spot visit to Dimapur on Friday.
The seven-member committee held two separate stakeholder consultations to review the implementation of the two legislations and gather recommendations for strengthening urban governance.
Chairing the meetings, adviser for Food & Civil Supplies and chairperson of the committee K Tokugha Sukhalu said the committee had visited Dimapur to listen, assess and understand how the newly elected municipal council, traditional urban gaon buras, colony chairmen and the district administration were coordinating on the ground.
He said the committee’s mandate was to review the implementation and intersection of the Nagaland Village and Tribal Councils Act, 1978, and the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, noting that the two laws represent the dual reality of Nagaland.
Describing Dimapur as the commercial hub and gateway to the state, Sukhalu said developments in the city have an impact on the entire state.
He said that after more than two decades without an elected municipal body, the newly elected Dimapur Municipal Council marked a historic transition under the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023. He added that urban gaon buras continued to play a vital role in maintaining customary authority, law and order, and community mediation.
Sukhalu acknowledged that urban governance and customary institutions often overlap as towns expand, creating practical challenges.
He called upon Dimapur Municipal Council councillors to share areas where the 2023 Act empowers or restricts them and identify the administrative support required for its effective implementation.
He also sought feedback from urban gaon buras on adapting to the new ward committees and from colony chairmen on coordination, sanitation, security and areas where the DMC could provide greater support.
Sukhalu further urged participants to candidly present grievances, coordination issues and practical recommendations so that the committee could submit concrete suggestions to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
He said the ultimate goal was to ensure harmony between statutory municipal governance, traditional institutions and grassroots colony leadership to make Dimapur a clean, safe, efficient and prosperous city.