EMN
DIMAPUR, NOVEMBER 11
The state government’s financial crunch is having a hard impact all over Nagaland. The State Government’s budget allocation under plan programmes for the current year is yet to be made available from the Government of India to the State.
The state government under the current chief minister TR Zeliang has made several trips to Delhi and has met the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister requesting for funds to tide over the crisis but till now the Government of India is yet to make any commitment for any special package to Nagaland.
Sources said that, last week, in a meeting of the NPF legislators, the Chief Minister and the Parliamentary Secretary for Planning Neiba Kronu shared the bleak financial position of the State with the ruling MLAs. A member who attended the meeting told this correspondent that the leaders of the government are quite helpless and are unable to bring solutions. He added that they were all hoping on a better financial period after the BJP led NDA government came to power in Delhi but things are not happening.
According to members of the business community in Dimapur, the state’s commercial hub, the markets are at its lowest point and business is very poor. Entrepreneurs while interacting with this correspondent highlighted that even during the festival periods of Durga Puja and Diwali, sales were very low and the festive spirit did not translate into significant positive business.
Apparently there is only some semblance of business in the hardware and construction sector but here too, hardware businessmen informed that most of the transactions are on credit. A hardware sales manager informed that if credit payments do not come early, even they will be hard-pressed to continue business.
An owner of a pork butcher outlet in Purana Bazaar told this reporter that sales of pork are at its lowest in the past few months and they have reduced cutting lesser number of pigs as sales are very low compared to all previous years. Observers say that if sale of pork is at its lowest, then it indicates that the market is at its poorest.
Senior officers of the State government say that Nagaland is predominantly dependent on the Centre for most of the funds required to run the State as resources are poor and the state hardly mobilises any revenue.
It was expected that after the installation of the NDA Government in New Delhi, of which the Nagaland Government is a partner, the flow of funds to Nagaland would significantly increase. However, the reverse has happened.
Political observers say that the NDA Government under the BJP has been antagonized by the DAN Government of Nagaland especially after the disqualification of its MLAs after the merger. Three NCP MLAs had merged with the BJP but they were disqualified.
A hard hitting statement by the Nagaland BJP last week stated that the BJP MLAs were disqualified despite the best efforts of the BJP leaders from the State and the Centre.
BJP leaders also confirmed that the party is disappointed with the DAN leadership for a series of political steps “which has undermined and insulted our party”.
Market observers say that if the present condition continues to prevail, the coming Christmas festival period is likely to be very lukewarm and the impact on the markets could be very negative.
