Monsoon session of Nagaland assembly begins

Kohima: The monsoon session of the Nagaland assembly will be held from September 11 to 14.
It will be the second session of the 14th assembly that was elected in March. The session will have three working days with recess on Wednesday.
It assumes significance because a consultative meeting of the state government with the apex tribal bodies and civil society organisations held on September 1 had decided that the government would pass resolutions against the implementation of the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Act and Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and also table the new Municipal Act.
Minister for parliamentary affairs KG Kenye said on Saturday the decisions were in line with the special privileges granted to the Nagas under Article 371(A) of Constitution.
In Nagaland, more than 95% of the land and its resources belong to the people while the government owns only about five per cent of the total area, he said.
The resolutions would be moved during the discussion on matters of urgent public importance in the ensuing session, he said.
The recommendations of the committee constituted to look into the Nagaland Municipal Act 2001, which was repealed by the assembly on March 28, would also be tabled during the session to enact a new municipal law for the state, he said.
Municipal elections in Nagaland were first held in 2004, and the tenures of the civic bodies expired by 2009-10.
However, efforts of the government to hold municipal elections with 33% women reservation and also the imposition of municipal tax on private land and resources was objected to by certain groups because of which no elections have been held till date.
On March 28, the Neiphiu Rio government repealed the Municipal Act and constituted a committee to draft a new law.
Other businesses include obituary references, question hour, presentation of committee reports and laying of annual administrative reports of government departments. PTI