Daily wage labourers flee out of Nagaland

Several daily wage labourers, working as porter in the district headquarters of Nagaland, have reportedly left their respective home town following the demands of unabated multiple taxes by the underground groups, students' bodies, other organizations and the civic bodies, who asked them to register their names.

According to sources the underground groups, local organizations, students' bodies and civic bodies have targeted the daily wage labourers, even the newspaper hawkers, most of them from Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh, are directed to pay the demands by the organization, who are unable to pay the demands and compelled to return back to their respective homes.

The Kohima Municipal Council (KMC) recently ordered the daily wage labourers to deposit Rs 2,200 for uniforms. But the labourers said that they have been paying too many taxes and that they have no option but to go away. The labourers have to pay Rs 200 for Inner-Line Permit (ILP) to the State Government for three months, Rs 200 to Rs 300 to Naga militant outfits as 'work permit' and Rs 200 to local student's unions for unspecified reasons. They have to procure a residential permit from the respective colony and ward on payment.

The Nagaland Government has constituted a High-Powered Committee (HPC) to study the unabated 'taxation and collection' and how to put an end to the menace. Retired Supreme Court Judge H. K. Sema has been appointed Chairman of the committee and will submit the report to the State Government within 90 days.

The committee will undertake a detailed study on price rise in the state because of illegal and unauthorized collection of money by various organizations, groups, unions and agencies. It will inquire into the practices of money collection from Highway Check Gates, streets and market places by various groups, unions and societies in the form of membership fees from vehicles, goods and services.