KOHIMA, AUGUST 2: The complacence of the people of Nagaland is inviting corrupt leaders and corruption in the government as much as they complacence is encouraging foreigners and immigrants to exploit the land and resources of the state, a local activist has said.
Offering a grim reminder of the fast-declining condition of Nagaland where inefficiency and corruption walk hand in hand, social activist and former student leader Theja Therieh, also attributed the ailments plaguing Nagaland to the docile attitude of the people itself.
Therieh was addressing a students’ program in Kohima town on Tuesday. He cited numerous cases of corruption in the state of Nagaland. Therieh pointed as a grim reminder the attitude of the Nagaland government in dismantling the one and only anti-corruption bureau, the State Vigilance Commission, which he said, could have checked corruption at all levels of the government.
Now that with the powers and jurisdiction of the State Vigilance Commission having been removed and its powers to raid and investigate corruption done away, he said, the SVC has been reduced to a ‘mere paper tiger.’ The complacent attitude of the people, he said, is inviting corrupt leaders and they are being allowed to escape from the clutches of the law too.He also talked about the administrative incompetence of the regulatory mechanisms of the government. ‘Nagaland is the only tribal state created out of political agreement with protective laws for its indigenous people with Article 317A. The article provides special provisions and protection.
Therefore, he said, law makers should review existing laws and legislate ‘necessary laws’ to ‘fully utilize all provision under the existing articles of Indian Constitution to protect and serve local interests.’ Students, on their part, he said, must become conscious keepers of the state’s unique laws and interest and assist the state in enforcing existing laws to protect and promote the interest of the people.
Therieh also expressed shock that government colleges in the state were getting only nominal grants of a mere 3.5 lakh in a calendar year. Citing an instance of science colleges, he said that each department received a mere 20-30 thousand for maintenance and management of laboratory equipments etc. He said that government colleges were being managed by fees and contributions from the students.
On the issue of backward reservation, Therieh asserted that reservation was not a birthright. It needs periodical review, he reminded. While pointing out that the existing policies were already outdated, he said they were devoid of criteria for merit and offer no competition.
‘Roster system compromises the merit criteria and reduces the reserve seats to a mere share of quota,’ he said. Therieh has emphasized on the need to study all these ‘redundant laws’ and review and make new relevant laws.
On acts such as the one for the Inner Line Permit, which cover only the hill districts starting from Chumukedima, Therieh questioned as to why not the entire state of Nagaland was not being covered.
While terming Assam’s claim of the 1925 British inner line as the demarcated boundary between Assam and Nagaland as ‘far from truth’, he said that the BEFR (ILP) should cover the entire administrative jurisdiction.
With over 5 lakh illegal immigrants in the state of Nagaland spreading from the neighboring state of Assam, Therieh also wondered as to what was wrong with the law enforcing agencies booking illegal immigrants and ILP defaulters. These immigrants should in fact be tried under appropriate laws of foreigners act, he said.
Pointing out the difference between foreign and Indian illegal immigrants, he said that Bangladeshi immigrants were foreigners and should be tried under appropriate acts and not as ILP defaulters. He further pointed out that ILP defaulters were those Indians trespassing without valid permit under the BEFR. Therefore, he said, law enforcing agencies should book the culprits and not at random.
The speaker also cited the problem of illegal immigrants in other north east states such as Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. Therieh maintained that although the indigenous people have been given protection under autonomous district councils, they hardly have 60% of land under their control. They also have no land provisions such as the Nagaland Land and Revenue Act of 1978.
In this regard, he said that the North East Indigenous Coordination body will be taking up the issue with government of India seeking necessary protective acts for the indigenous people of the north east region soon.
The government says
The chief secretary of Nagaland Pankaj Kumar also spoke during the event. While agreeing with Therieh on the need to strengthen the ILP system, chief secretary Pankaj Kumar said that the government was ‘reviewing the administration of ILP at the moment, and will be examining on further measures to be introduced.’
On the corruption cases in the state, Kumar said these were problems which all societies have in governance. ‘We have to deal with these problems, and gradually we have to come to a level where things are more transparent, orderly and just,’ said Kumar.
While assuring that the administration would do whatever was ‘possible to maintain transparency,’ Kumar has called for collective efforts of the society to ensure attaining the goal of transparency.
On the issue of adhoc and contract appointments, Kumar said that the government was serious about the notification banning adhoc appointments and striving that it was implemented. Instructions on said have been issued to all departments, he said, while agreeing with that the possibility of ‘some violations’ taking place. However, the chief secretary said, it was the collective ‘duty of the people to bring to the notice of the government such practices and anomalies.’
